


Pleading Guilty

by abelinabeaumont (abbily1428)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Bath Sex, Bottom Hermione Granger, Breeding, Choking, Cunnilingus, Deepthroating, Dirty Talk, Dom Draco Malfoy, Exhibitionism, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Smut, Light Dom/sub, Lust Potion/Spell, Marriage Law Challenge, Oral Sex, Orgasm Control, Public Sex, Rimming, Ron Weasley Bashing, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Magic, Sub Hermione Granger, Top Draco Malfoy, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:54:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 32,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25756954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbily1428/pseuds/abelinabeaumont
Summary: IN PROCESS OF REWRITE. Hermione was content with her life, she had friends, a thriving business. Until a Marriage Law is passed, and she has to figure out how to add someone else into the mix. DM/HG. Warning: Language, Drugs/Alcohol, Explicit Sex scenes in later chapters
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter, Theodore Nott/Padma Patil
Comments: 51
Kudos: 457





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> This story is in the process of a rewrite, so please be patient! I'm trying to update as often as I can.

Chapter 1

"You must know. Surely you must know, it was all for are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night and it has taught me to hope as I had scarcely allowed myself before." Mr. Darcy said bewitchingly from the television screen in Miss Hermione Granger's London flat.

"What a load of rubbish," Harry Potter scoffed at the charming man from his seat on the sofa.

"Shut up, Harry, this is the best part!" Hermione threw a handful of popcorn in her best friend's direction before shoving another handful into her mouth.

"...you have bewitched me body and soul and I love...I love...I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on…"

Harry snorted."Oh, please, real blokes don't talk all flowery, with the fancy words and all that. If we like a girl, we just tell her, or we don't."

"Well maybe if the members of your gender articulated their feelings as eloquently as Mr. Darcy, they would be presented with the opportunity to get laid more often," Hermione retorted, grabbing the remote and switching off the television.

"Eh, probably. But, that's not really my problem, now is it?" Harry smirked, leaning back in his chair. His wife of five years, Luna Potter nee Lovegood, was currently six months pregnant with their third child.

Hermione rolled her eyes and got off the couch, placing her bowl of popcorn on the coffee table in front of her. "Well we can't all be fortunate enough to find our soulmate at 11, now can we?"

"Who knows, Mione? You may have met him already and just don't know yet. You could easily end up with Seamus or Dean. They're still single, so I've heard."

Hermione shuddered. "I could end up with Seamus and have to move house every two weeks because he's found something to destroy, or I could be with Dean and have Ginny's sloppy seconds, so to speak. I'd prefer my friends to not be as physically acquainted with my significant others as myself, thanks.." She stood and carried their dishes to her small kitchen, Harry following. "And you know I'm not focusing on dating right now."

"Who said anything about dating? With how stressed you've been lately, you just need a good shag."

"Harry, I'm surprised at you! The nerve, speaking to a lady like that!"

"Lady, my arse. And it's been what, eight months, since you and Ron split? And I haven't heard you talk about anyone or going on any dates."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, turning her back to him to fetch a fresh drink from the kitchen. "It hasn't been eight months! It's been...nine months and ten days."

"Not that you're counting or anything."

She huffed, getting a wine bottle out of the refrigerator and uncorking it. "Just because Ron ran off with some bimbo slut from the Daily Prophet, and just because I haven't shagged anyone since we broke up, doesn't mean I haven't had meaningful, deeply personal connections with men. Great dates! With romantic men who just dote on me!"

"Oh, you have, have you?"

"Maybe I have."

"Gay men don't count, Hermione."

Hermione took a sip from her wine, ignoring him. "What does it matter if I have shagged someone or not? I'm doing very well for myself, Harry. I've just been promoted at work, I'm making decent money, I'm healthy. I do not need a man to make me satisfied with my life. I'm twenty-six years old, and I'm a smart, attractive, independent woman! Plus, I don't need a man in order to get myself off, Harry," she smirked at him. "I have a vibrator."

"And that is my cue to leave," Harry kissed his friend on the forehead. "Have a good night, love. See you tomorrow night at mine, yeah?"

"Sure. Goodnight, Harry. Give Luna a kiss for me."

"Will do. Night, Mione." And with that, Harry Potter left the building.

Hermione poured herself another glass of wine and padded into the bathroom to set up a nice, relaxing hot bath. A wave of her wand caused her lights to dim, hot, coconut and vanilla scented bubbles and water to fill her clawfoot tub, and floating candles to light themselves as a wave of smooth jazz floated through the bathroom. She settled into the warm bubbly water and sighed.

Was Harry right? Did she just need to get laid by a real live red-blooded male? She had always thought herself to be perfectly fine without a regular sex partner, but she had to admit that she was feeling more tightly wound and stressed these days. If she was perfectly honest with herself, the sex had gone from their relationship months before she had discovered Ron with that slutty tabloid writer Astoria Greengrass in their shower. It had been quite a while for her, and she could definitely feel it. Her trusty little vibrating rabbit just wasn't quite cutting it for her anymore.

She drained the bath and dressed in a silky robe she had gotten from a boutique lingerie shop on a work trip to the US, originally as a surprise gift for Ron along with a barely-there lacey bra and thong set that never got to see the sun. Or the floor, as she had imagined when she purchased them. She played with the edge for a moment. She had gotten several things on that trip, actually, that were currently tucked away in her lingerie chest, tags still on, never worn. Maybe, just maybe, she would eventually find someone to wear them for.

She slipped into bed naked and reached for her trusty vibrator, her mind buzzing with thoughts and memories of the stupid redhead arsehole who broke her heart, and a mystery man with strong, rippling muscles and a penchant for dirty talk.

* * *

The next morning, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was simply buzzing with gossip. It was a normal occurrence, for some reason the titters and murmurs surrounding Hermione as her heels clicked down the hallway sounded much more insistent and concerned this morning. As soon as she opened the door to her office in the Investigation department for Magical Law Enforcement, her secretary shoved a copy of the Daily Prophet into her hands.

"Have you heard?" Hermione's secretary whispered to her as she arrived, looking a bit panicked.

"Amanda, you know I don't read this worthless drivel anymore," Hermione said, moving to hand it back. "Are you all right? You look a bit pale."

The young blonde's dropped immediately to her hands, which were nervously fiddling with the watch on her left wrist, "I think you'll want to read it today, Miss Granger."

Hermione sighed and nodded, tucking the paper under her arm. "I haven't even had my coffee yet and already with the drama," she muttered. "Are there any messages for me?"

Amanda nodded and reached for a stack of small paper slips, handing them to her. "Yes, Miss Granger. Minister Shacklebolt also sent his assistant this morning to ask if you had time to do a quick Floo call before you get too busy, I told him I wasn't sure, but would ask you. And your new account file is on your desk, as well as your coffee and a bagel."

"Thank you, Amanda. I'll call Kingsley back." Hermione nodded to the girl and stepped into her office, closing the door behind her.

She threw the newspaper into a chair haphazardly and thumbed through the account file on her desk. Hermione had been working as a solicitor in the magical community since she had graduated from Wizarding University with degrees in Wizarding Law, Diplomacy & Wizarding Relations, and Wizarding Communications. She had apprenticed under several of the prominent legal offices in the British and French Ministries focusing on prosecution, contract, and human rights law before opening her own practice, mainly taking on projects that interested her regardless of the subject.

She technically could have worked from home if she chose to do so, but the Ministry had offered her an office suite in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for her practice in exchange for consultation on a few cases here and there. So far, Hermione had only been asked to consult on three cases in her year in the office. She had recently been appointed the official Ministry liaison for several corporations, and was the driving force behind several amendment proposals to laws regarding rights of Magical Creatures and muggleborns, as well as pressing the importance of practical life skills classes such as basic law and tax preparation, career exploration, and sex education in Wizarding schools such as Hogwarts and Beauxbatons.

The account file in her hands mainly focused on a merger that was happening between a Ministry-subsidized apothecary and an outside corporation called Pax Pharmaceuticals, which was fairly straightforward on her end. She just had to read through the merger contracts to ensure that the terms were fair and beneficial to both parties, as well as schedule a meeting with Pax's representatives and the director of the Ministry's Public Health's office. It was a case that her professors in school had joked about often, minimal work for maximum billable hours. She chuckled to herself as she reached for her coffee and picked up the morning paper from the chair that Amanda had been so desperate for her to read. She froze as she glanced over the headline.

_WIZENGAMOT TO PASS MARRIAGE LAW, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hermione stormed furiously into the Minister of Magic's department, waving her hand in an impressive feat of wandless magic to open the door to his office, ignoring his assistant who angrily fussed over the stack of papers Hermione had caused to fall to the floor.

Hermione stopped just short of Kingsley's desk and slammed the offensive paper down, her face flushed with anger. "What the bloody hell is this?"

Kingsley calmly turned to face the young woman. "I see you preferred a face to face conversation to a Floo call this morning. Please, make yourself comfortable. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No," Hermione spat. "I do not want a fucking cup of tea. I want answers."

"Hermione, please, try to be rational about this."

Hermione scoffed, crossing her arms. "Rational? How in the world do you expect me to be rational about this?" She picked up the paper and began to read aloud. " _An exclusive announcement from the Minister of Magic: The magical population has dwindled alarmingly over the course of the past few years after our community's second Great War. The birth rate has dropped dangerously low and the Ministry strong feels that a temporary procreation order is necessary for the continuation of our society. Effective the 1st of next month, all eligible witches and wizards between the ages of 18 and 35 are hereby subjected to a procreation decree, in which he or she will be required to marry a suitable match and product no less than three children in the next ten years. All participants are required to submit themselves to fertility testing and subsequent compatibility pairing for the most fruitful and promising marriages for the future of our society by the end of next week. Failure to comply with the decree will result in a fine of no less than 500,000 Galleons, payable to the Ministry of Magic Marriage & Procreation Office, as well as a minimum twenty-year prison term in Azkaban for the betrayal of the future of Wizarding society. With the exception of infertility or terminal illness of either part, there will be no exceptions to the law. All marriage ceremonies must be performed and consummated within thirty days of compatibility matching and fertility testing. All other current marriage laws will remain in effect, meaning neither divorce nor infidelity will be tolerated. No international work, holiday, or student visas will be granted at this time. More information to come_." Kingsley, how do you expect anyone to be okay with this? This is taking away our choice, our freedom, our lives! You are forcing arranged marriages onto us!"

"Hermione, this was not my first choice, or my second or third, believe me." he said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully. "We've thought through every available option and scenario. Our population is severely depleted after the War, and we've waited for another solution to pop up, but it hasn't. The people of your generation just aren't having children, and the ones that are are purebloods whose generations of inbreeding are producing Squibs or are not able to produce children at all."

"Surely this isn't the only way! There must be another option."

"This is the only way that is feasible." He stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I fought as hard as I could. But it's not entirely up to me. The Wizengamot has agreed that this is the best way for everyone involved. I've always thought of you as a close friend and I'm sure this will not be a comfortable experience for you or your friends. I will do everything in my power to make this as easy as possible for everyone involved, I swear it."

"Well, I appreciate that, Minister," Hermione retorted sarcastically. "I'm touched that you so kindly thought of me in this situation."

Hermione gritted her teeth and stomped out of the office, leaving the Minister to his own devices. She would be damned if this ridiculous law would stand. She would make sure of it.

When she returned to her office, a barn owl was waiting on her desk, a small envelope attached to its leg. She fed it a treat and took the letter, settling in her chair to read it.

_Miss Hermione Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a participant under Marriage Law 01.12.2. Your presence is required at St. Mungo's on February 1 for a physical and mental wellness exam, as well as fertility testing. Your appointment is at 9:15am. During this time, you will also undergo what we like to call a compatibility test, to ensure fruitful offspring with the spouse of your or our choosing. Should you choose your own spouse, he must be at least 90% compatible with your genes, in order to ensure at least three healthy magical offspring. However, should you allow us the privilege of choosing your spouse, be assured that we will not choose someone for you who falls below 98% compatibility._

_Please bring the following items to your Healer's appointment on February 1st:_

_-Your wand_

_-Your Apparition license_

_-Any family documentation you may have (family tree, record of physical & mental illness, etc.)_

_-Record of your last four menstrual cycles_

_-Record of any previous sexual partners, male or female_

_-The first part of your compatibility testing, i.e. the attached questionnaire_

_We so look forward to working with you and your future spouse on this joint endeavor to repopulate the Wizarding community. Please note that all marriage ceremonies must be performed and consummated within thirty days from the determination of your ideal genetic match. Please keep in mind that failure to comply with any part of the procreation decree, including the fertility exam, will result in a hefty fine of no less than 500,000 Galleons and a prison sentence of minimum twenty years._

_Have a lovely day!_

_Eloise Mintumble_

_Secretary to Head of Department_

_Marriage & Procreation Office, Ministry of Magic_

Hermione put the page down after reading only a few lines of the questionnaire. February 1st was tomorow. She had thirty days before she was to be married off and bred like a prize Arabian.

What this really necessary? Was the Wizarding World in this much danger? To be married, to have sex with someone she barely knew and have children with them? Or worse, with someone she did know. What if she got paired with a former Death Eater? Merlin. She buried her face in her hands.

"I'm so fucked."

* * *

Draco Malfoy poured himself the third glass of Firewhiskey in the span of fifteen minutes, his letter from the Ministry of Magic Marriage & License Office opened on his desk. He had almost expected something like this to happen. The Wizarding World's population had dwindled to nearly a third of what it had been before the War and his pureblood friends who had been married for quite some time had all struggled to have even healthy children, let alone magical ones. He just hadn't expected anything quite this drastic.

His fiance, who at the time he believed was the love of his life, had left him for some red-headed twat Quidditch player nearly a year ago. He hadn't seriously dated anyone since. With his father under house arrest, and his mother so wrapped up in redecorating the Manor after the taint of the Dark Lord, he had thankfully not felt pressured or rushed into choosing a new bride, until now.

He just didn't know if he could feel for anyone the way he had felt for Astoria again. Sex, yes. Sex he could do, and in fact had done on numerous occasions since Astoria had packed her things and moved out of their home in Derbyshire. And sex, he supposed, was really all that they were asking of him.

Narcissa Malfoy hurried into the room, her normally pristine hair and robes askew. She saw the letter on Draco's desk and crumpled it angrily.

"How dare they?" she hissed, her normally pristine features twisted with rage. "How dare they presume that they know what's best for my child? For a Malfoy? Do they know who you are? Don't worry, darling, we'll find a way out of this."

"Mother," Draco sighed, resigned.. "Read the letter. I'm not terminally ill, so unless I'm sterile, there will be a new Lady Malfoy before April.."

Narcissa scoffed. "Of course you're not sterile! You're a Malfoy, for Merlin's sake."

"Then this is what's going to happen."

"What about a bribe? We still have plenty in our vaults after the war. Or blackmail? Surely your father still has something on someone in that horrible place."

"Mother, I appreciate the sentiment, but that's a terrible idea. It would only backfire and we already have to walk on eggshells as it is. I don't want you to be placed on house arrest, or worse sent to Azkaban for interfering. And I certainly don't want to go for noncompliance.

"Well, I refuse to just sit here and do nothing while my only child is forced to sign his life away to some woman he hardly knows!"

"Then start planning the wedding, Mother," he sighed, pouring himself a fourth glass of Firewhiskey. "It will give you something to do."

Narcissa huffed and retreated from the room as quickly as she had appeared in it.

Draco looked down at the letter again, waving his wand to force it flat again. He looked at the ceiling and muttered to no one, "I'm so fucked."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> This story is in the process of a rewrite, so please be patient! I'm trying to update as often as I can.

Chapter 3

"And just relax for a moment so I can see what's going on," Padma Nott nee Patil, Hermione's Healer and gynecologist at St. Mungo's, said soothingly to Hermione.

Hermione laughed. "My feet are in stirrups, Padma, I really don't have a choice."

Padma rolled her eyes and pointed her wand at a piece of parchment, taking notes. "I have learned in my years of practicing gynecology that stirrups do not equal relaxation, Hermione. So how are you feeling about all this, Hermione? I mean really."

Hermione paused for a moment, struggling with how to articulate the complex emotions that she had experienced in the last 24 hours. "I'm definitely not happy about it. I mean, I'm only 26 years old. I'm not ready to be married or to have a family. I have a career and plans and my freedom is being stripped away from me. The only two men I could have ever thought about marrying are either married already or cheated on me, which leaves me with almost no option except to accept the Ministry's choice for me."

"I'm sorry, Mione, truly."

"Well, you're lucky I guess, married to that beautiful snake of a husband of yours. Thankfully that drunken party in 8th year ended up well for someone." Hermione said jokingly. "How is Theo, anyway?"

Padma smiled broadly, sitting up and removing her sterile gloves, tossing them in the bin next to the bed. "He's great. Working is going really well for him and he's been able to take some time off. Since the law was passed, we decided we're going to try for a baby."

"Oh, Padma, that's wonderful for you!" Hermione paused, putting her legs down on the stool. "Or is it just because of the law?"

"Oh no, we've tried before but nothing has come of it. We've been talking about trying again for a couple of months now, and the law just kind of pushed us to make the talks a reality. I've been off the potion for maybe three weeks anyway, and we've been shagging every night at least twice, so hopefully it'll happen soon."

Hermione smiled at her friend. "Well, I'm very happy for you Padma. I'm glad that you, at least, got to find your perfect person before any of this mess."

"Thanks, Mione," Padma waved her wand, signing the parchment containing Hermione's results. "It looks like everything is normal. Your blood pressure and cortisol levels are just a little bit high for my liking, so I'd like you to try to stay relaxed, maybe take up yoga or hot baths, get some good sleep, and watch your diet for excess sodium. I'll monitor your results weekly until we get it stabilized in a normal range, okay?"

"Okay," Hermione breathed. "And I am, uh, fertile?"

Padma nodded grimly. "The tests say yes. Your menstrual cycles are regular and unproblematic, your uterus and ovaries are in tip top shape, and your thyroid levels all look to be within the optimal range. As soon as you stop taking your contraceptive potions, it shouldn't take any time at all to conceive."

Hermione's face fell and the tiniest tear slipped down her cheek. Darkly, she had almost hoped that she would be barren. Her last hope had flown out the window with Padma's signature. Padma stood and hugged her.

"I know this is tough, Mione," Padma whispered in her ear. "But I'm here for you, I promise. No matter what dickhead they pair you with."

Hermione laughed softly and hugged the other woman back, squeezing tightly. "Thanks, Padma."

"So, my nurse Elizabeth is just going to get you checked out and finish your compatibility component," Padma squeezed her friend's hand affectionately before letting go and moving to leave. "Do you have any questions for me, while I'm here?"

"No, I don't think so," Hermione smiled grimly. "Thanks, Padma. I mean it."

Padma nodded. "Of course."

Hermione was standing at the receptionist's counter getting her forms signed when something knocked her off balance. She stumbled, and looked over to where a young woman was standing at the counter, oblivious to what she had just done.

The woman's blonde hair shone, hanging in ringlets over her back and shoulders. Thick makeup covered her pale, elfin features and accentuated crystal blue eyes peeking out from long, sooty lashes. Her black dress robes were designer, tight and short, and her heels were definitely tall enough to be considered "stripper-esque." Astoria Greengrass never looked less than pristine, and evidently a fertility appointment was no exception..

"Oh, hello, Granger," the blonde cooed sweetly when she saw Hermione. "How have you been? It's been so long, what nine months already since we spoke last?"

Hermione gritted her teeth and straightened her spine, determined to be the bigger person. "Astoria. You're doing well?"

"Oh, quite well, I would say," Astoria smiled, showing off sparkling white teeth. She held out her left hand for Hermione's inspection. "Isn't it marvelous? Ron proposed!"

The ring was a 2-karat cushion cut diamond surrounded by tiny sapphires, resting on a thin platinum band encrusted with smaller diamonds. It was the ring that Ron had picked for Hermione before he had cheated. She had found it among his things and confronted him. He had promptly dropped to one knee. Nine months later, he had been on his knees for another woman. This woman. Hermione looked at the ring, and back at the blonde, and mirrored her sickly sweet smile. "I'm so sorry."

Astoria's smile vanished. "You should be sorry. It could have been you married to a pureblood wizard like Ron, a war hero," she sneered.

"You're forgetting, Astoria," Hermione said calmly, stepping closer to the girl. "I was with him, too. I'm a war hero, as well. But at least I don't," she raised her voice, "Have to suffer through sex with that micropenis of his. What is it, Astoria, three inches long? It's been so long since I've had the misfortune, I seem to have forgotten."

Astoria turned bright red and stomped past Hermione into the doctor's office. Hermione sighed and retrieved her wand from the receptionist. A slow clap from behind her caused her to turn, her chocolate and honey eyes meeting icy grey.

"Bravo," Draco Malfoy smirked at her. "I haven't seen Astoria that flustered since we were together."

"Malfoy," Hermione greeted politely. "How are you?"

Draco shrugged, putting his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "I could be better. You?"

"The same, really."

Draco nodded and began to walk past her to the receptionist's desk. Hermione began to leave.

"Oi, Granger?" he called, as she had almost reached the door.

"Yes?" she turned.

"I hope they match you with someone decent."

Hermione paused, struck by the uncharacteristic kindness and sincerity behind his words. "Thank you, Malfoy, I hope you end up with a good match, too."

With a nod and a turn, Draco was into the doctor's office, and Hermione was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> This story is in the process of a rewrite, so please be patient! I'm trying to update as often as I can.

Chapter 4

"Well, that's bizarre," Ginny Weasley said to Hermione as they sipped wine on her couch after her appointment with Padma.

"Bizarre doesn't even begin to cover it," Hermione said, pouring herself another glass. "Since when is Draco Malfoy ever decent, let alone nice?"

"He was alright that last year at Hogwarts. He shared a dorm with me and Blaise, remember? Very quiet, left me alone for the most part. Rumour has it that his breakup with Astoria really did a number on him. Blaise says he hasn't dated seriously since she left him," Ginny's fiance of almost a year, Blaise Zabini, was Malfoy's best friend and the biggest gossip in town. "He's pretty much locked himself in Malfoy Tower - you know that big building in London, what do the Muggles call it again?"

"Mm, Canary Wharf, I think?" Hermione shrugged. "Malfoy Industries usually sends their representatives if they need to meet with me, I rarely go to them."

Ginny nodded and stayed silent for a moment, taking a long sip of her wine. "So is he fit?"

Hermione laughed and hurled a throw pillow in the redhead's direction. "Ginny!"

Ginny giggled and set down her wine. "What? Just because you don't necessarily get along doesn't mean you can't appreciate what is put on this earth!"

Hermione smiled into her glass, refusing to meet the red head's eyes. "He is reasonably attractive."

Honestly, that was understating it. Malfoy had really filled out since she had last seen him in person. His 6'3" frame had filled out nicely with hard, lean muscle from days of playing Quidditch, and his formerly sickly pale skin had tanned a bit, causing him to look ethereal as opposed to ill. He had let his platinum blond hair grow so it hung shaggy around his face and ears, and it was groomed very loosely, so that it stayed out of his eyes, nothing like the horrible slicked back look he had throughout their early Hogwarts years. Hermione shook her head. She couldn't think of him like that. He was a former Death Eater, for Merlin's sake.

"Mmhmm, maybe he should be added to the ole vibrator visions bank," Ginny smirked.

"Why is everyone so obsessed with whether or not I'm having sex?" Hermione groaned. "I'm fine, honestly!"

"Well, Mione, you're going to be married in less than a month to who knows who. You will not be able to divorce or cheat, so while you still have some semblance of freedom in who you are going to allow to plunder your lady garden, why not spread some wild oats? Maybe you'll get a nice memory or two for when you're stuck shagging the same guy for the rest of your life."

Hermione rolled her eyes and took a long drag of her wine. Although, Ginny did have a point…

* * *

"I can't believe you convinced me to do this, Gin," Hermione said, trying to pull down the skirt of her tiny sequin dress while keeping the top from exposing her breasts to everyone on the street.

"Oh stop! It'll be good for you!" Ginny giggled as they walked down the street from the apparition point to the hottest new club in Diagon Alley, an upscale restaurant and dance joint called Fantasy. "Besides, you have 29 days left until you're a Mrs and can't fuck whoever you want anymore!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I didn't do that anyway!"

"Well now's the perfect chance to start," Ginny smiled at the bouncer as he scanned their wands.

"Have a nice night, ladies," he grumbled as he gave their wands back.

Ginny flashed a flirty smile at him. "Thank you."

Hermione pushed her way past her friend and headed straight for the bar.

"Firewhiskey and soda, please," she shouted over the crowd, waving down the bartender.

Ginny shimmied her way onto the dance floor, waving at Hermione to come over and join her in the crowd. Hermione held up her drink and shrugged apologetically. Ginny rolled her eyes and continued to shake and grind with the music.

Hermione took her drink over to a quiet corner. She had never been one for clubs like this. They were much too loud and crowded and the bassline inthe music was always turned up so high it gave her a headache. She, Ginny, and Luna had frequented similar clubs quite a bit when they were at Uni, before any of them were attached and were able to bring home the hot boys they danced with to play Strip Exploding Snap at their shared flat.

"Hello, Granger. Enjoying the party?" a voice suddenly drawled next to her.

"Merlin!" Hermione cursed, spilling her drink on her dress. "Oh fuck - I'm sorry, Malfoy. You startled me."

Draco nodded and smirked, offering his drink napkin to her. "It's alright. I'm the one that picked the dark, scary corner booth to mope in. Sorry about your dress. It's silk, right? I can have it dry cleaned for you if you like."

Hermione stiffly took the napkin and dabbed at her dress. "Oh, that's not necessary. I have a few dry cleaning charms I learned from Mrs. Weasley that will get it right out."

"Ah, good."

They sat silently in the dark for a while, awkwardly sipping their drinks and watching waitresses flit between booths to refill drinks and bring plates of steaming international cuisine to their customers. Hermione was surprised, really, with how comfortable she felt sitting with Malfoy. Their relationship before the war had been rocky, at best. He had come back to Hogwarts to finish out their last year with Hermione, Ginny, and Blaise, while Harry and Ron had jumped into Auror training. He had been different after the war. Not cold or harsh, just quiet and reserved.

After graduating Hogwarts, he had served a year of house arrest with his mother, and had gone on to be CEO of Malfoy Industries, which encompassed a large portfolio of investment companies, apothecaries, restaurants, and retail operations. Hermione had consulted on several of the company's mergers as legal counsel. His representatives had always been cordial and professional, but she hadn't had a personal interaction with the man himself in years, at least, prior to the run in at the doctor's yesterday.

"So, Granger," his voice startled her out of her memories. "Did you have a good visit?"

She furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry?"

"You went to see Healer Nott yesterday, correct?"

"Oh, uh, yes. I had my appointment yesterday," she paused. "Not that it's any of your business."

"I didn't mean to offend. We're all in this shit situation together, thought it might be easier if we made friends through it all. Don't have to though, I was just curious."

"Oh," Hermione was genuinely surprised. "It went...well, I suppose. Everything functioning like it's meant to. Which unfortunately means that I don't have a way out of this decree. And yours?"

He grimaced, bringing his glass to his mouth. "The same, really. Thankfully Padma is a friend, which made it a bit less awkward. I've never enjoyed people prying into my personal life, or my personal space, and all those tests and "compatibility" questions made me more than a little uncomfortable."

Hermione nodded. "I know, me as well. I really don't know why they would need to know what our favorite foods are or our favorite films in order to determine who would be a good genetic match. This is purely for procreation and it's almost like they're expecting love bonds to form."

"My mother and father barely knew anything about each other when they were married and they turned out alright, in a relational sense. A lot of arranged marriages do."

"Oh," Hermione gasped. "Your parents had an arranged marriage? I didn't know."

Draco nodded. "It's common practice in pureblood circles, even now. The thought is that loyalty to the bloodline and the family are more important and binding than love."

"So, with Astoria…"

"No, we didn't have an arrangement. Mother and Father had drawn up contracts with several families when I was young, but fertility issues in the Sacred 28 meant that there were only so many daughters to be betrothed off, and Mother decided that a contract wouldn't be necessary. I am a Malfoy, after all. Just didn't account for the cheating part."

"I don't think anyone can."

Draco held his glass to her, "To cheating bitches who break our hearts."

Hermione smiled and touched her glass to his. "To cheating bastards."

"So is that why you're here? I haven't seen you drink since 8th year. Drowning your sorrows?"

"Not exactly. Ginny brought me out to sow my oats, so to speak. One last hurrah before I'm assigned my future ball and chain, have to settle down, and pop out a litter."

"Blaise did the same. Funny though, he's not following his own advice." Draco smirked and gestured to the dance floor, where the aforementioned couple were attached at the lips and dry humping on the dance floor.

Hermione chuckled, "Well at least someone isn't going to be miserable when this whole thing is over."

"Who knows? We may not all be miserable. Statistically speaking, some couples are bound to form an actual attachment. If not love, then affection and friendship. That's what I'm hoping for at least. And we get children out of this agreement, which is a positive."

Hermione was shocked, although she probably shouldn't be. "You want children?"

"Of course."

"You never struck me as the type to want children."

"Because I'm a former Death Eater?"

"Of course not. You just don't seem like the type to enjoy tiny humans."

Draco chuckled at that. "Mother and Father always wanted more children. They suffered a number of lost pregnancies before and after me, as well as a stillbirth - my younger sister, Cassiopeia. The doctors told them not to try anymore after that, so I didn't exactly have the most exposure to young children when I was growing. I did spend summers with my father's sister and her husband in France. They had a butler and housekeeper instead of house elves. They were married and had seven children altogether. They always looked so happy and there was so much laughter in that house - I want that."

"You want seven children?" Hermione was teasing, but was genuinely curious.

Draco laughed. "I want as many children as my future wife is willing to give me. I would never presume to ask her to sacrifice her body for my daydreams."

"Well, if the decree stands, you'll have a minimum of three."

Draco grimaced, "I suppose I will, won't I? Or we will, whoever she ends up being."

"Miss Granger?" A waitress tapped on Hermione's shoulder.

"Yes?"

"You were sent this by the young lady over at the bar." The waitress handed her a tray full of Muggle tequila shots and winked. "She said to share."

Hermione looked over by the bar to see Ginny raising a glass of Butterbeer in her direction and smiling obscenely, Blaise hanging onto her shoulder and whispering in her ear. She laughed, not at all surprised by her friend's boldness.

"You want a shot?" She offered to Malfoy, gesturing toward the full tray.

"How about a game?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"What kind of game?"

"Truth or shot? Answer the question honestly or take a shot?"

"How about we raise the stakes?" Hermione copied his signature smirk. "One shot for an honest answer from the competition, two shots to avoid a question yourself."

Draco flashed a wide smile, offering his hand to her. "Deal."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> This story is in the process of a rewrite, so please be patient! I'm trying to update as often as I can.

Chapter 5

_Previously…_

_"You were sent this by the young lady over at the bar." The waitress handed her a tray full of Muggle tequila shots and winked. "She said to share."_

_Hermione looked over by the bar to see Ginny raising a glass of Butterbeer in her direction and smiling obscenely, Blaise hanging onto her shoulder and whispering in her ear. She laughed, not at all surprised by her friend's boldness._

_"You want a shot?" She offered to Malfoy, gesturing toward the full tray._

_"How about a game?" He quirked an eyebrow._

_"What kind of game?"_

_"Truth or shot? Answer the question honestly or take a shot?"_

_"How about we raise the stakes?" Hermione copied his signature smirk. "One shot for an honest answer from the competition, two shots to avoid a question yourself."_

_Draco flashed a wide smile, offering his hand to her. "Deal."_

* * *

"Alright, you can answer first since the game was your idea," Hermione smiled. "We'll start easy. What was your most embarrassing moment at Hogwarts?

Draco groaned. "Too easy, when Professor Moody transfigured me into a ferret, of course. I never lived that one down. Pansy and Blaise still call me Ferret when they want to get a rise out of me."

Hermione gasped and picked up the tiny glass, "I remember that! I remember feeling so sorry for you. Transfiguration should never be used as punishment."

"Well, I suppose it depends on the type of punishment. It can be quite enjoyable in some scenarios."

Hermione nearly choked on her shot. A sexual joke? From Draco Malfoy? Surely she was hearing things. Downing the glass in one go, she shook her head to ease the burn. "Ah, I don't think I'll ever get used to tequila. Alright, my turn."

Draco nodded, "Same question for you, Granger. What was your most embarrassing moment at Hogwarts?"

"You remember that I went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum? We had a little, shall I say, conversation in an empty classroom before he walked me back to my dorm. Turns out we weren't as discreet as I thought we were and Professor Snape caught us in the middle of, well, you know. I've never been more mortified in my life."

Draco burst out laughing, hand shaking so hard it threatened to spill the shot in his hand. "I can't even imagine. The look on Severus' face must have been priceless!"

"It was not worth repeating, I can say without any doubt. I don't think he ever looked at me the same way again," Hermione grinned. She could see the humor in it now, though at the time the encounter had made her never want to risk getting physical with a boy at Hogwarts ever again. She still did, of course, just with much more caution. "Alright, next question. Guilty pleasure?"

"Baking."

"Baking? Draco Malfoy bakes?"

"Granted, I'm not very good at it. Mother never let me in the kitchens when I was younger in case I got hurt, so whenever I went to Hogwarts I made it my personal mission to know every route to the kitchens I could. The elves eventually got tired of scolding me for sneaking down there and put me to work. I made a pretty mean pumpkin pastie and I have a recipe for a chocolate tort that is delicious."

"Hm, I never would have guessed," Hermione took her shot and set it on the table. "I love chocolate."

"I don't know anyone who doesn't. It truly is a gift from the gods. Ok, Miss Granger, next question. Have you ever been in love?"

Hermione contemplated for a moment and sighed. "I don't..think so. I thought I was in love with Ron but then when I found him and that slag all I felt was anger, mostly at myself. I never really saw a future with him. Babies and houses and all that, I mean. And the sex wasn't that good and I've always thought that when it's really love, the sex would be explosive."

It was Draco's turn to choke on his shot. "Well, well, Miss Granger. The Gryffindor Virgin Princess and Prude of Hogwarts, two mentions of sex in a single conversation? I must be very lucky to be graced with such attentions."

Hermione scoffed. "Prude, hardly. I was just selective. All the boys my age at Hogwarts were fumbling idiots who couldn't locate the clitoris if it was right in front of their nose. No offense intended, of course."

Draco laughed. "Well, it's true. We were all pretty oblivious. It just takes practice and someone willing to be patient with you, and teach you how their body works."

"So who was your teacher?"

Smiling, Draco shook his head and grabbed two shots off the tray, downing them in quick succession. "I always swore I would never share."

"She swore you to secrecy? Was it that bad?"

"It's more like I promised her I wouldn't share. For her reputation. I'm not exactly the kind of person someone would want to advertise."

Hermione tilted her head, studying him. "You have to know that's not true."

"Well, it was for her."

Hermione felt bad for him. It was cruel to ask someone you had been so intimate with to hide your relationship. She would never have dreamt of doing such a thing, even if her sexual partner had been a former Death Eater. The heart, or hormones, want what they want.

"Question for you, Granger. Who was your teacher?"

She blushed, pushing a shot over to him. "Viktor Krum. In the classroom. The reason Snape caught us that night was because I was a bit too, uh, vocal, I guess."

"Hermione Granger, vocal?" He grinned in a way that made her blush intensify. "I think I'm learning quite a bit about you tonight, Miss Granger."

Question after question was exchanged and soon they were down to one shot each. One last question.

Hermione looked around the club, she didn't see Ginny and Blaise anywhere. They must have gone home for a drunken boink fest that Ginny was so fond of regaling. She squinted at Draco, barely able to see straight with how many shots she had had. Even though wizarding folk were typically able to hold their liquor much better than muggles, the tequila had been very strong, and she had had a couple of drinks on top of that. She took a glass and downed her last shot, leaving one left for him. "Last question, Malfoy. And if you avoid this one, you lose."

"Bring it on," he smirked.

"Will you walk me home? Ginny and Blaise left, and I think I'm a little drunk."

Draco chuckled and downed the last shot. "Of course."

* * *

Hermione woke up to sunlight streaming into her eyes. She groaned and with a wave of her hand, the curtains shut themselves and blessed darkness engulfed her again. Glancing over at her clock, she hummed in approval as she saw it was only 7:00am on Saturday morning. She could go back to sleep. She rolled over and snuggled into the warmth that was her comforter and a muscular, masculine body.

She froze, warmth? She waved a hand again, opening her curtains ever so slightly so she could see who she had just snuggled up to in her bed.

She immediately closed the curtains and rolled to the other side of her bed. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them. No, this wasn't a dream. She was naked, and deliciously sore all over, and Draco Malfoy was in bed next to her.

Hermione put her head in her hands. "Holy shit."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> This story is in the process of a rewrite, so please be patient! I'm trying to update as often as I can.

Chapter 6

Hermione's hands shook slightly as she moved the whistling teapot from the stove to the counter. Her silk robe was wrapped tightly around her silk pajamas. Her fuzzy slippers padded against the floor as she paced around the kitchen, waiting for her tea to brew. She paused as she heard the shower water turn off. Breakfast. He might want some breakfast. She dug in her cupboard, she had some day old bread from the bakery down the street, some eggs, cheese, and onion. Not much, but it would work.

Draco peeked his head around the corner. "Towels?"

She gestured behind him to the linen closet. "Bottom shelf."

"Thanks."

"Do you want some tea?"

"Uh, sure. Two sugars, please."

He disappeared again behind the wall, presumably to get dressed. Hermione poured his tea and added the sugar, then turned back to the stove to make them a bit of scramble. Draco walked into the kitchen, fully dressed in his slacks and shirt from the club last night.

"Good morning," she greeted, not sure how to interact with him.

"Good morning," he peeked over her shoulder. "That looks and smells fantastic."

"Thanks," she grinned, using a spatula to spoon some onto a plate for him. "Scramble and toast. Nothing fancy, but I haven't had a chance to get to the market recently."

He smiled and took the plate from her. "Honestly anything homemade is lovely. I bake sometimes, but I mostly survive on takeaway and microwave meals."

"You have a microwave?" Hermione asked curiously, taking her own plate to the dining table to join him. "I never would have pictured it."

"Yes," he nodded. "I have a microwave. It was a nightmare to get to work, with all the magical things in my flat, but I make do."

"You don't live at the Manor?"

"No. Too many bad memories. I visit to check on my mother every now and then, but for the most part I live in London."

Hermione nodded. She remembered her own experience at the Manor all too vividly, and she was sure his time there was much less pleasant than her own.

"Granger, I mean, Hermione, I want to apologize, for last night I mean."

Hermione's eyes shot up to meet his, her fork stopped halfway between her plate and mouth. "What about it?"

"I never would have...I mean I didn't go to the club specifically..especially with the decree and all."

"No, I totally understand and agree," she cut him off, feeling quite relieved. "It was a one time thing, that isn't to happen again. After all, once we receive our matches we'll be theoretically betrothed. Not really a good look to be sneaking around when you're to marry someone else."

Draco nodded in agreement. "For the record, I had a wonderful time. Before the sex part. Although, that was lovely, too."

Hermione blushed. "I did too."

"So," he offered her his hand. "Friends?"

She smiled warmly, taking his hand and shaking it. "Friends."

He left shortly after their breakfast on Saturday, and Hermione spent the remainder of the weekend with a locked Floo, a peaceful fire, and a book or two.

* * *

Monday morning came, and Hermione was determined to forget her little indiscretion with Malfoy. Her heels clicked on the floor as she swept into her office, attempting not to make direct eye contact with anyone, trying to avoid the usual Monday morning small talk.

"Any messages, Amanda?" she asked, picking up the mail from her inbox on Amanda's desk.

"Good morning, Miss Granger," Amanda paused. "Um, yes, just a few. But you have a visitor."

Hermione looked up. Kingsley Shacklebolt was sitting comfortably in one of the large armchairs opposite her desk. "Shit. Okay, cancel my appointments for the next hour or two, please."

Amanda nodded quickly. "Yes, of course."

"Shacklebolt," she greeted, shutting the door behind her. "What do you want?"

"Such coldness, Hermione. Is that any way to greet an old friend?" His attempt at a jovial demeanor soured her mood. She hated false positivity, especially so early in the morning.

"Old friends don't sell each other out to be shackled to a stranger and bred like broodmares, Shacklebolt. So I repeat myself, what do you want?"

He let out a sigh and summoned a letter that was in his robes pocket. "I wanted to give you this myself."

She eyed the envelope warily. "Is that my results from Healer Nott?"

"It is."

"And why do you have them? Medical information is confidential, unless specifically released by the patient, and I never gave permission to have my information released."

"It is still sealed, Hermione. I haven't opened it. It was delivered to the Marriage & Procreation Office early this morning."

"Does it have my match in there as well?"

"Eh, no. You are to meet him this afternoon at your scheduled time with your case worker present to explain what your next steps are. It's in the letter as well."

"Do you know who it is?"

Shacklebolt avoided her gaze. "I know who the options were. I do not know who your case worker matched you with. There are several factors of compatibility they take into account."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Like our favorite takeaway or our preferred side of the bed?"

"Something like that," Kingsley smiled, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "I know you don't believe me, but I'll tell you again. This was not my first choice, Hermione. Or even in my top ten. I did not want this for you - for any of you. There is no other way."

Hermione crossed her arms and looked at the floor. "So you say."

He handed the letter to her. "I'll leave you to it then. Please don't hesitate to owl, Hermione."

She held open the door in dismissal. "Minister."

She closed the door behind him and sat at her desk, unable to take her attention away from the letter in the center of her desk. Her fingers tapped on the wood nervously, and her heart felt like it was soon to burst out of her chest. Her future was in the envelope, or at least, the first step. She shook her head, snapping herself out of her trance and opened the letter quickly.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I am pleased to inform you that we have received your patient files from Healer Nott's office and as you are in excellent magical, physical, and reproductive health, you have been approved to advance to the next stage in the Ministry of Magic's Marriage Law 01.12.2. Please report to your case Miss Penelope Weasley's office in the Marriage & Procreation Office this afternoon at 2pm to meet your match and review what the Ministry expects of you both._

_Congratulations!_

_Eloise Mintumble_

_Secretary to Head of Department_

_Marriage & Procreation Office, Ministry of Magic_

* * *

At 1:55pm, Hermione stood waiting outside of Penelope Clearwater-Weasley's office, her foot anxiously tapping the ground. She hadn't been able to concentrate on a thing all day, honestly it would have been easier to have been summoned immediately so she didn't have the chance to dread who she might be paired with. What if it was someone idiotic? Or a Death Eater? Or someone ugly? She was usually never one to give weight to such frivolous things as appearances, but for Merlin's sake, she was marrying the guy, with no chance of a divorce or an affair.

Penelope opened the door, a cheery smile on her face as a young woman ran from her office crying. "Miss Granger? I believe you're next."

Hermione's eyes followed the young woman as she stood to go inside. Was that to be her fate as well? Making a fool of herself in front of the entire Ministry? No, she determined. She faced Voldemort and hoardes of Death Eaters, she had lived in the woods with two teenage boys for years, she had shared a dorm room with Lavendar Brown. She was Hermione fucking Granger. She could handle this.

"It seems as though your betrothed decided to arrive by private Floo, so he's waiting inside for you," Penelope's smile was large and glittering, Hermione couldn't tell if it was out of genuine happiness or some kind of potion or Muggle drug. "Please, take a seat."

Hermione froze as she turned and saw the man in the seat in front of her, the familiar shock of blonde hair causing her heart to stop.

Draco Malfoy stood from his seat and smiled grimmly at her. "Hermione, a pleasure as always."

"No fucking way."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 7

_“It seems as though your betrothed decided to arrive by private Floo, so he’s waiting inside for you,” Penelope’s smile was large and glittering, Hermione couldn’t tell if it was out of genuine happiness or some kind of potion or Muggle drug. “Please, take a seat.”_   
_Hermione froze as she turned and saw the man in the seat in front of her, the familiar shock of blonde hair causing her heart to stop._   
_Draco Malfoy stood from his seat and smiled grimmly at her. “Hermione, a pleasure as always.”_   
_“No fucking way.”_

Hermione stared at the desk in front of her as her case worker droned on with some drivel about the important of the proceation decree, Draco Malfoy sat stiffly beside her. Her fiance, she supposed. What had Penelope called him? Her betrothed? The term felt a bit outdated to her, almost as outdated as the decree itself.

  
“So why don’t we just jump into it then?” Penelope smiled at the pair, handing a stack of parchment to each of them. “I know you’re both very busy and have other things to do today.”

  
“What is this?” Hermione asked warily, thumbing through the stack, seeing magical pictures of smiling families and babies and rolling hills and sunsets. Clearly some kind of propaganda the Ministry had cooked up to make this whole thing feel like it wasn’t a death sentence.

  
“Just a few rules, tips, things of that nature. If you’ll turn to page one, you’ll see the general requirements of your match,” Penelope gestured to the first page of the stack. “You’ll need to officially marry and consummate the marriage within thirty days of being informed of your match, so you two will need to tie the knot thirty days from today at the latest. You may celebrate the union in any way you so choose, whether that be a wedding with friends and family or a private ceremony here in the Marriage & Procreation office. As I am sure you are aware, you will be taking Wizarding marriage vows, complete with a bonding ceremony, meaning that there will be no opportunity for divorce or infidelity during the course of your union. There will be a Ministry official at the wedding to ensure it is done properly, and we will be using charms to confirm consummation as well as prevent any acts of violence or sexual assault.”

  
“Wouldn’t the whole practice technically be considered sexual assault?” Hermione retorted. “Since we are clearly not doing this because we choose to do so.”  
Penelope ignored her and continued on. “You will also both be provided with a course of fertility potions to begin one week before your wedding and in the week immediately following. The potions do have some possible side effects, among them being a significant increase in libido, breast tenderness, nausea, mild headaches, excess volume of female vaginal secretions and male ejaculate, and also an increased probability of multiple births. You will be expected to have sexual intercourse at least once per day following the wedding until your first pregnancy is confirmed, after which you may discontinue regular intercourse if you so choose and will begin regular obstetric checkups with your Healer. For your sequential two required pregnancies, we will not be monitoring the frequency of your sexual relations as of right now. The Ministry recommends allowing one full year for the mother’s body to recover from pregnancy and childbirth before attempting to conceive again. It is your choice, however, when you would like to try for your second child and fertility potions will be made available to you free of charge if you should choose to use them. We will not step in regarding your second or third pregnancy unless we feel as though too much time has passed for you to fulfill the requirements of the decree, for example if you wait eight years between your first and second child, clearly there would not be enough time to conceive and bear a third before the ten year deadline has passed. You are only required to have three children of any gender, so if you are blessed with multiples in a single pregnancy, you are only required to have as many pregnancies as possible for three children. You may have more children if you so desire. After the ten year deadline, we will no longer be monitoring your reproductive efforts.”

  
Penelope turned to another page in the pamphlet, pointing out different parts of the decree and seemingly rattling off a practiced speech. Hermione was shocked she had not run out of breath. Hermione herself certainly felt like the breath was being squeezed from her chest with each word out of the older woman’s mouth.  
“You are required to live in the same property while you are trying to conceive, as well as the time your children are living with you. You may choose a home of your own, or you may choose to have the Ministry provide a home for you if you cannot afford one together. You do not have to sleep in the same room, however we do expect a unified front as far as parenting your new little ones, so civility is key. You are expected to provide for the children equally, however the division of care and attention, whether that be financial, emotional, educational, etc. may be decided between the two of you. We are willing and able to provide legal consult should you want to hash out the details in a formal and legally binding contract. Several of our couples have chosen that specific route and hope it to be quite beneficial in the long run. We can talk more in depth about the educational requirements that the Ministry has instituted whenever your children reach age to begin attending nursery, if you wish. The information is in the pamphlet should you want to go through it yourself and I am always available for questions should you have any throughout this process.”

  
“I know this does not need to be said, however abuse of any kind is considered a violation of the decree and will not be tolerated. As well as the mandated fine of no less than 500,000 Galleons and twenty years in Azkaban, the offender will be brought before the Wizengamot for further sentencing, the minimum of which is an additional ten years in Azkaban, surrender of all monetary assets to the possession of the plaintiff, and the loss of all parental rights.” Penelope fixed her eyes on Draco apologetically. “I apologize if I offend, and of course I am not assuming that either of you would commit such an infraction, however it is part of the information I am required to share with you today. Any questions?”

  
Draco abruptly took the stack of papers and slammed the door to the office open.

  
“Apparently not,” Hermione said coldly, her glare at Penelope icy. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Weasley. I’m sure we’ll be in touch.”

  
Hermione grabbed her stack of papers as well and followed Draco out the door, nearly jogging in her high heels to keep up with his long strides down the hallway.“Malfoy!” she called, hoping to slow him down. To her surprise, he did stop and turned to face her. “You didn’t say a word in there.”

  
He let out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t have anything to say. The requirements of us are fairly black and white, are they not? We’re expected to marry and shag like rabbits until we pop out three little brats, and then they’ll bugger off!” Seeing the look on her face, he softened. “I’m sorry. I’m not angry with you, this is just..it’s a lot to take in.”

  
She nodded. “I know what you mean.”

  
“We should talk about this privately. Would you like to come to dinner tonight at my flat? We can look through the fine print together, figure some things out.”

  
“Sure,” she agreed. “Probably for the best.”

  
“Alright. 7pm, then.” Draco turned and headed for the Floo. He stopped for a moment and turned back to face her, an odd expression on his face. “For the record, Granger, I’m glad it’s you.”

  
Hermione stood in the hallway, shocked, as the green flames spun him away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.

Hermione canceled her appointments for the entire afternoon, determined to pour through the paperwork that Penelope Clearwater-Weasley had given her and Draco in order to find a loophole. The legal documentation was airtight. As soon as a wizard and witch completed the bonding ceremony, they would be signing the contract that accompanied the decree and would be locked in to decree for the next ten years, and committed to each other for the rest of their lives with no chance of escape. It was ingenious, really. Instituting the archaic bonding ritual in the marriage acted almost as a form of a contract in itself, creating an actual bond between the pair that makes it impossible to form a romantic bond with anyone else. It was almost a guarantee that at the very least some kind of affection would foster between the two, which helped when divorce and infidelity were both still considered illegal in the Wizarding community unless evidence of abuse was provided.

The number of children also made sense to her, as unfortunate as it was. The goal was not to replace the existing members of the Wizarding community, but to grow. Requiring one child would essentially do nothing, and requiring two children would only replace the existing population, not bring it up to pre-War levels. The fertility potions only served to make the process faster, which was a mercy in some ways. Couples would only have to have intercourse for seven to ten days over the course of ten years if the potions were successful, minimizing the amount of unwanted physical contact between the two. It was still Ministry-supported assault, for all intents and purposes, but it sounds like they tried to minimize the damage.

She mulled over the potential options and consequences in her head. She could go through with the decree, marry Draco, have at least three children with him, and hope that their budding friendship blossomed into something more akin to love. It was a possibility, although definitely not her first choice. She could refuse the match, pay the 500,000 Galleon fine, and spend the next twenty years in Azkaban. No, not possible. She had the money, but it would leave her with much less than she was comfortable with and no way to pay for her life after Azkaban or for her employees while she was incarcerated. Malfoy would also have to pay the fine and serve the time in Azkaban as well as her or risk being re-matched. He barely escaped Azkaban the first time, and only because of her and Harry’s testimony. She couldn’t put him at risk like that. 

The only other option she could think of was running, leaving Britain and never returning. It was an option, although not one she could make without considering Malfoy as well. Hermione sighed, absentmindedly twirling a loose curl around her finger. She would discuss this with him tonight, hash out their options. Draco and Hermione were among the first couples to be matched, and with her legal background and both of their connections in the Ministry, they could potentially change pieces of the law, if not the entire law, to be more beneficial for all parties involved.

She was brought out of her reverie by a knock on her door. Harry Potter leaned against the door frame, looking at her kindly through thick-rimmed spectacles.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I heard about your match.”

Hermione nodded. “Do you want to sit down?”

“That’s why I’m here.” He took a seat in an armchair in front of her desk. “How are you? I know this was probably a shock to you.”

“To say the least,” she muttered, sliding the stack of papers from Penelope back into a folder. “I’ve been trying to figure out some kind of loophole for hours, and nothing is coming to mind. I think I have some ideas as to how to get out of this, but since I can’t really action any of them without implicating Malfoy, I need to speak with him first.”

“Are you upset? About the match I mean? You two haven’t always had the most friendly relationship.”

“Well, to be honest, not as much as I expected. I figured it would be someone that we fought with or against as Hogwarts. A high profile couple going along with the decree would make it a lot easier to make others comply. And we’ve...made up, I suppose. Last weekend. It could definitely be worse.”

Harry nodded and cracked a grin. “You could still be with Ron.”

Hermione burst out laughing. “Yes, I supposed I could. Well, I have dinner with Malfoy in about an hour to discuss the whole thing. Hopefully he’ll have thought of some way we can get out of this.”

“Dinner, eh?” Harry’s grin grew wider. “Like a date?”

“With my betrothed? Yes. I hardly think a date is inappropriate under the circumstances,” Hermione retorted. 

“Well, I’ll leave you to go get freshened up before your dinner, then. But Mione, please don’t hesitate to let me know if Luna and I can help you in any way. Even if you just need someone to stand with you. This whole situation is so messed up.”

“Thanks, Harry. I appreciate it.”

As soon as Harry left, Hermione told Amanda that she was going home for the day and Flooed directly into her bedroom. She took a quick shower, ran a charm over her curls to smooth them a bit, and changed into a lovely silk dress and pair of heeled sandals she had bought almost a year ago for an anniversary date that never ended up happening. It occurred to her then that Malfoy had never told her the location of his flat. Not wanting to risk an accidental mis-Floo if he had multiple properties, she penned a quick note, sending her beloved tawny owl named Iris to carry it to him. Her Floo roared to life only a few short minutes later, Malfoy’s head popping out. 

“Apologies, Granger,” he smiled crookedly. “You can come with me if you’re ready.”

Hermione set her wards and crossed through the fireplace with her fiance, nervousness and excitement filling her at the same time.

* * *

Malfoy’s flat was beautiful, as it turned out. It was a lovely penthouse in the Wizarding section of Soho in London, with glass windows on all sides overseeing the city. From what Hermione could count through their tour, the home included five bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom, a gym area, a library, and an office, as well as an open concept living space that encapsulated the kitchen, living room, and dining room, and a utility room off the side. It was decorated well, with natural wood finishes, soft toned walled, and light, comfortable upholstery making the space seem warm and inviting. Hermione had a feeling that either Astoria or Mrs. Malfoy had decorated the place, the color palette seemed to contradict Malfoy’s typical dark-colors only style.

He had brought in dinner from one of his favorite restaurants in the area, a Wizarding steakhouse called Le Rachat, steaks with a lovely potato au gratin and grilled asparagus that made Hermione’s mouth water just thinking of it. They avoided the subject of the decree while they ate, both not really wanting to ruin the delicious dinner with such a depressing topic. They spoke of their businesses and their friends, but as soon as Draco poured the coffee and tea, Hermione began.

“I hope you don’t find any part of what I say offensive,” she said softly after he handed her a steaming mug of tea. “Because none of it is directed toward you, however I would like to discuss our options for not following through with the match.”

Draco nodded, seemingly unfazed. “Of course, I expected no less. This law is horrible, and all avenues should be considered.”

Hermione nodded. “I’m so glad you understand. I was pouring over those documents all afternoon, and as far as I can see there are only two ways out of the match entirely, we can refuse or we can run. Of course, I would never presume what you would want to do in this situation. Both options could be very costly for both of us.”

Draco sighed, pushing his chair away from the table and wiping his hands on his legs. “I’ve thought about that too.”

“And?”

“And, personally speaking, I don’t know if the Ministry would allow us to just refuse and receive the minimum punishment.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’re a very high profile match. War heroine, brightest witch of her age and reformed evil Death Eater. I think they are trying to use us as an example. We go along with the decree and we are exhibit A that the law is a positive thing and people shouldn’t be scared to comply. If we refuse, well..they’ll throw us in Azkaban for the rest of our lives and show that no one, not even their precious Gryffindor princess, is above the law. And I’m still technically on probation, so,” he flashed a silver bracelet encircling his right wrist, his wand hand. “The public would say that I deserve it anyway.”

Hermione nodded slowly. “Unfortunately, I agree.”

“So where does that leave us, then?”

“Well, I think it only leaves us with one option,” Hermione met his eyes. “We’re getting married.”

Draco nodded in agreement. “We’re getting married.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 9

“Amanda, please cancel all of my appointments for today and get the Minister and the Department Head of the Marriage & Procreation Office on Floo. You may need to cancel tomorrow’s appointments as well,” Hermione marched into her office on Tuesday morning, a stack of file folders clutched firmly in her hand. “I would like to not be disturbed, please.”

Amanda was clearly taken off guard by her hurriedness. “O-of course, Miss Granger. Right away! Mr. Malfoy is waiting for you in your office.”

Hermione smiled. “Thank you, please let me know when the Minister and Department Head are ready to begin the call.”

“Yes, Miss Granger.”

Draco was sitting in the armchair in front of her desk, looking very polished in a crisp navy Muggle suit and matching navy robes over the top. “Good morning, fiance,” he teased her.

Hermione chuckled at his cheek. “Good morning, Draco. Are you ready for this?”

“I believe so,” he tapped a stack of papers in front of him. “Do you think they’ll go along with it?”

Hermione sighed and sat down, putting her bag and papers on her desk and shrugging the pale lavender robes off of her shoulders to reveal a smart white sleeveless blouse tucked into wide leg grey slacks. “I honestly don’t know. On one hand, I really hope they do and that they don’t call our bluff, I would hate to have to fight not to go to prison. On the other hand, even if they don’t, we can say that we did everything we could feasibly do to fight this.”

Draco nodded. “We have to try.”

Amanda knocked on her door. “The Minister and Mrs. Fawley are ready on Floo line one, Miss Granger.”

“Thank you, Amanda!” Hermione called, waving her wand at the fireplace to activate the call.

“Hermione, to what do we owe this pleasure?” Kingsley Shacklebolt smiled. “Ah, young Mr. Malfoy, this is a surprise.”

“Do you time this morning for a meeting? We have a few things we would like to discuss with the both of you before we agree to comply with the procreation decree.”

Augusta Fawley, the current Department Head of the Marriage & Procreation Office, looked shocked. “Before you agree? Do you mean you’re planning to refuse?”

“That’s not what I said,” Hermione said coldly. “I have a conference room reserved for the day if you have time. Shall we say let’s head over in ten minutes?”

Shacklebolt looked down at something in his hands before nodding. “I suppose I could move some things around for you two. Augusta?”

The older woman looked displeased but nodded. “Of course. I’ll meet you there.”

Hermione closed the call and stood, gathering her papers in her hand. “Are you ready?”

Draco nodded, standing with her. “If you are.”

* * *

The conference room Hermione reserved had a long mahogany table in the center, a small table off to the side for coffee, tea, and snacks, and walls on three sides that were charmed to look like floor to ceiling windows, giving them a beautiful view of London. Hermione had picked the large room purposefully, knowing that if the Minister and Mrs. Fawley agreed to negotiate the terms of the law, they would need somewhere that was comfortable and could accommodate at least one meal.

Hermione and Draco took their seats on the side of the table facing the windows as Kingsley and August Fawley walked into the room. Hermione couldn’t remember ever meeting the older woman outside of a few charity functions here and there, although she knew that Draco was distantly related to her somehow, as she was a Rosier before she married into the Fawley family, making her one of the Sacred 28. She had never held a conversation with her for more than a minute, but she had a feeling that would change today. Draco had assured her that Cousin Aggie was one of the more amenable of his relations, and that she would work with them to the best of her ability.

“Cousin,” August greeted as she sat across from Hermione, her formal dress robes forcing her to sit straight in the chair. “Miss Granger, It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, I’ve heard so many good things about you.”

“The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Fawley. Hopefully our little conversation today won’t disprove that.”

“What is this about, Hermione?” Kingsley said good-naturedly, sitting next to Augusta across from Draco. “You sounded quite ominous over Floo.”

“Well,” Hermione began, straightening the folders of paperwork in front of her. “As you both probably now know, Draco and I have been matched according to the new procreation decree passed last week. We recognize that we are a very high profile match, and that our cooperation would be greatly appreciated by the Marriage & Procreation Office, as it would encourage other couples to cooperate as well.”

“Yes,” Augusta agreed. “We were very surprised, but excited, when we heard of your match. We think it will be a great step in the right direction toward eradicating blood purity ideals in the pureblood community, as well as a very successful match, of course.”

Draco nodded. “We agree, of course. We definitely did not have the best relationship in school, which was mostly my fault, I must admit, because of the outdated and bigoted beliefs that I held toward Hermione. However, we also recognize that will that influence comes a responsibility to Hermione and myself. And that responsibility is not toward the Ministry or the Marriage & Procreation Office, but to everyone else who has been affected by the decree.”

“There are some things that either have not been specifically laid out or have been omitted completely in the law’s fine print that we would like to see changed,” Hermione said firmly. “As of right now, we have agreed that we will go forward with the match, but that is contingent on whether or not you agree to our negotiations.”

“Of course,” Kinsley said, nodding and motioning to the papers in front of Hermione. “We are always open to suggestions from the public, especially since this law is so vital to the survival of our community.”

“I agree,” August concurred. “Of course, there are portions of the law that are set in stone. The Wizengamot and Marriage & Procreation Office did debate every part of the law extensively before it was enacted, but we do recognize that there are things that could have been overlooked in our expediency.”

“Excellent,” Hermione smiled and flicked her wand, duplicating the documents in front of her and placing a copy in front of both of them. “In front of you, you will find a copy of the contract Draco and I were given yesterday by our case worker. We have highlighted sections that we would like to see amended. Draco, would you like to begin?”

“Of course,” Draco agreed. “We will start with the large things that we would like to see changed, and we can debate the smaller things later in the day. First, if you’ll turn to page three, we’ve highlighted the section on fertility potions. We feel strongly that beginning a course of potions a week before the wedding is unnecessary, especially considering the potential side effects. If couples are mandated to have regular intercourse, the fertility potions should work within the first few times regardless, so we are suggesting the course be reduced to five days instead of two weeks, the first dose beginning the day after the wedding so that the couple can enjoy their bonding ceremony without feeling drugged.”

“I supposed that could work,” Augusta said slowly. “However, the potency of these potions is very hard to predict. We do want to make sure that the couple in question conceives quickly.”

“We’ve actually thought of a solution to that as well,” Hermione smiled. “Draco’s company owns an apothecary called Pax Laboratory & Apothecaries, which specializes in reproductive research and treatments of all types. Draco is willing to manufacture and sell the fertility potions to the Ministry at cost, and we can all be assured that the potions are both effective and as side effect free as possible. The Ministry has already done some small business with Pax, so we would just need to amend the contract that is currently existing which, conveniently, is sitting on my desk awaiting your legal counsel’s, my, approval.”

Augusta mulled it over for a moment before looking to Kingsley, who nodded shortly. “I think that is acceptable.”

“Excellent,” Hermione waved her hand, marking that section of the contract completed on all copies. “Now, on the subject of intercourse. Current Muggle studies have actually proven that engaging in sex every two to three days, as opposed to every day, is more successful is guaranteeing a pregnancy when there are reproductive concerns. Given that the law allows the couple ten years to have three children, we feel it’s appropriate to require intercourse once every three days at minimum as opposed to every day until a pregnancy is confirmed, especially considering that some of these couples might be strangers and requiring daily sex might put too much stress on the budding relationship. Alternatively, there are a couple of Muggle procedures we could provide as options for couples who wish to not intercourse in the relationship at all,, one of them being Intrauterine Insemination, where a semen sample is inserted into the uterus by a Healer, or In Vitro Fertilization, in which an egg is taken out of the mother and fertilized with a semen sample from the father, and is then put back into the mother to grow. These options allow that sexual intercourse for couples be an option for them and not a requirement, giving the choice back to the couples and removing the sexual assault aspect, especially since we are still asking the women who are affected, including myself, to give up their bodies for nearly three years.”

Augusta pursed her lips. “I was not aware of the Muggle procedures, I am willing to allow those options as long as our Healers receive appropriate training in the next three weeks, which shouldn’t be a problem. We will cover costs for these procedures, of course. Considering that we would like for couples who are choosing the natural option to begin conceiving as quickly as possible, as well as understanding the potential side effects of regularly taking fertility potions, I don’t feel comfortable extending the maximum time between sexual intercourse sessions quite so far. however , I am willing to agree to changing the minimum to every other day with the caveat that if the couple does not conceive within the first three months, they should both be examined by a Healer with a reproductive specialty to determine if there is an underlying issue.”

“That is acceptable to us,” Draco nodded, mimicking Hermione’s earlier motion to mark the highlighted section complete. “We would also like to allow an exception to the law for those men and women who have experienced sexual trauma. I know of several people who were assaulted during the war who are suffering consequences to this day because of it, and Hermione and I both firmly believe that they should be excluded from this law if they so choose.”

“Of course,” Kingsley and August immediately agreed. “That is not something that we thought about, to be frank. Of course, we would need to verify the trauma via memory retrieval and a session with a mind healer. We want to protect those of us who are victims, however we don’t want people to falsely claim just to get out of the decree.”

“That is definitely understandable. It should be a case by case basis, of course. One of the biggest advantages that we have right now, from having such a small population, is that we can look at each individual affected on a case by case basis,” Draco explained. “I think a session with a mind healer would be extremely helpful for everyone involved, perhaps even a session as a couple.”

“That’s an excellent idea.”

“I agree,” Hermione said. “On to the next point, the rules of the bonding ceremony need to be amended. Arranged marriages don’t even include them in their contracts anymore, and they haven’t for decades now. We definitely see the benefit of having that bond to help form a commitment to each other, however I think it should be time sensitive. We’re suggesting a ten year limit, at which point a couple can choose to renew or dissolve their vows. That way, the Ministry still gets the children that they need, and couples have a chance at finding love and fulfillment if these matches do not provide that for them.”

Augusta pursed her lips. “And what about the children then? Are they to live in broken homes, only seeing one parent every other weekend?”

“Cousin, after the children begin going to Hogwarts, they hardly see their parents at all anyways,” Draco said gently. “We believe it wouldn’t cause any further psychological harm than having parents who are still together but hate each other.”

Augusta pondered for a moment. “I suppose I see what you mean. However, there have been many studies that show the benefit of having two parents in the home while the child is still at home. How about twenty years? That way, the eldest child will be out on their own, or very close to it, and the youngest will be at Hogwarts. Witches and wizards live so much longer, and their reproductive window is much longer as well, so the timing shouldn’t be a problem for most of the young people involved. I don’t see too much of an issue with it.”

Draco and Hermione looked at each other and shrugged. “That’s a fair compromise.”

* * *

They argued through several more points, eventually determining that every couple should have a contract drawn up that explicitly states the financial and emotional expectations of the couple for each other and for their future children. Hermione volunteered her services, noting that she would need to hire another lawyer to assist, which the Minister was more than happy to assist with. She and Draco had successfully negotiated the majority of their points, the only thing that they couldn’t seem to agree on was having the women carry the children at all. Apparently experiments had been done to artificially grow babies in the past, usually ending with the poor child having severe health problems and not living for longer than a year or two.

Overall, Hermione was content with where they were now. She still wasn’t happy about being forced to go through with the law at all, but she knew that it was necessary and since it was, she could have a worse partner than Draco. They still hadn’t discussed the option that they would choose to conceive. She blushed, thinking about last weekend. She would be fine with doing it the natural way, she just wasn’t sure about what he wanted to do.

“Granger?” His voice startled her.

“I’m sorry?”

Draco smiled at her. “I asked if you would like to take tomorrow off and do some planning with me? Draw up our contract, do some wedding planning?”

“Oh,” Hermione flushed again, embarrassed at being caught daydreaming. “Sure, I don’t have anything pressing this week. I just need to tell my assistant so she can take the day, too.”

“Of course, I’ll pick you up at 8am, does that work?”

Hermione nodded. “Yes, that’s fine.”

“Perfect. Good night, Hermione,” he brought her hand to his lips as he dropped her off at her office door. 

“Good night, Draco.”

She watched him as he disappeared through the hallway Floo, her mind filling with images of little chubby cheeks with curly blonde hair and icy grey eyes. 

“Wow, he’s such a gentleman,” She didn’t know when Amanda had popped up at her side, but there she was. “Was he like that in school, too?”

Hermione shook her head and smirked. “Not even close. He was ghastly in school. I punched him once for being a prat, and I probably should have done more than just the once.”

“Well, he’s not a prat anymore.”

“No, he’s definitely not.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 10

The Malfoy Industries headquarters was absolutely stunning. Encompassing six floors, the space was full of glass windows and dividers, marble floors, and sleek modern elevators, all with a gorgeous view of London and the River Thames. Draco’s office was in a far corner, with windows on two sides, a private Floo, and a glass wall allowing him to see everything and everyone on the floor. 

Draco took Hermione to the security desk first to get a visitor’s pass, then to his office to begin their meeting. He tapped his hand against the glass wall, darkening it to be opaque to outside views. Hermione looked at the charm work with interest, perhaps she could do something similar in her flat so the natural light could still peek through. He gestured to the comfortable looking set of chairs looking out over the Thames. “Would you like to sit?”

As soon as they sat, Draco handed her a sheet of paper. “A menu, I noticed you didn’t have breakfast this morning. My assistant can bring anything you’d like up from the kitchens.”

“Oh,” Hermione flushed with embarrassment. She had spent too much time obsessively going through outfits this morning to have time for breakfast, and she was sure he could hear her stomach growling. “A bagel with salmon and cream cheese sounds lovely. Maybe a cup of tea as well?”

Draco nodded, waving his hand and calling his assistant in. “Mark, will you please put in an order for a bagel with salmon and cream cheese for Miss Granger, a full English breakfast for me, and a pitcher of tea and coffee, please?”

The young man smiled cheerily as he poked his head in the door. “Of course, Mr. Malfoy. It’ll be in shortly. Anything else?”

“Thanks, Mark,” Draco smiled. “That’s all we need for now.”

“He seems very happy this morning,” Hermione commented. 

“He met his match yesterday,” Draco grinned. “A girl in the office named Alice who he’s fancied for a while. Apparently she fancied him, as well, and just was waiting for him to ask her out.”

Hermione smiled softly. “Well, I’m glad it worked out for them. I know a lot of couples won’t be as lucky.”

“Like you and me?” A shadow of concern crossed his eyes before disappearing behind a mask of indifference.

“That’s not what I said. I would say it could be a lot worse for us. We are far from hating each other, I would even go so far as to say we tolerate each other,” Hermione teased, glad to see the look of relief on his face.

“Yes, tolerate.” He grinned. 

“Now, if you’d like to begin, maybe we should discuss the wedding?”

“Ah, yes,” Draco waved a hand, conjuring a notebook and pen in front of them that immediately began scribbling  _ Wedding Ideas _ . “As far as I’m concerned, I’m willing to do whatever you’d like to do. We can do something small, something big, if you’d like to just go to the M&P office, we can.”

“Personally, I’d like something small I think,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “Something for our friends and your parents so they can be a part of it as well.”

“And your parents?”

“Oh, they, um.” Hermione looked away. It was still a bit emotional for her to talk about, even so many years later. “I had to alter their memories temporarily and send them to Australia during the war. I was able to find them and recover their memories, but they were killed in a car accident on the way to the airport in Sydney.”

Draco reached out, covering her hand with his. “I’m sorry, truly.”

Hermione nodded. “Thank you. They were lovely, but at least they never knew about the War. I don’t think they would have handled it well.”

“Of course not, they’re your parents. They loved you and wanted to keep you safe.”

“And your parents?”

Draco’s mouth settled into a hard line. “I have never doubted my mother’s love and concern for me. My father just happens to live in the same home as her.”

“So you wouldn’t want him to come?”

Draco sighed, “I, uh, I know my mother would want him to be there. And I want to make her happy, she has sacrificed a lot for me in the past. However, if you don’t want him there, I completely understand and will of course acquiesce.” 

“I don’t think it will cause any harm, Dracom” Hermione said softly. “He is your father, and in some twisted way, I’m sure he loves you.”

Draco said nothing else about his father, saved by Mark arriving with their breakfast trays. They discussed the wedding and decided on a small ceremony in two weeks' time at one of the Malfoy’s estate homes in Essex, inviting only their close friends and Draco’s parents, and of course the Ministry officiant. They would have a traditional Muggle wedding with the addition of the bonding ceremony at the end, a nice dinner and dancing for their reception. 

* * *

“So, for the conception part of this,” Hermione began, shocking herself with how embarrassed she was to talk about this with him. “I wasn’t sure what you were thinking as far as trying to conceive.”

Draco nodded. “I won’t force you into anything, Hermione. If you’d prefer to do the artificial methods over trying to conceive naturally, then of course I’ll support that. However, I won’t lie to you and say that the natural method isn’t my preferred method, especially considering that it’s you.”

Hermione’s eyes widened and she flushed a deeper red. “I think I would be okay with that. Given last weekend, clearly we work well together in that department.”

“Alright, then it’s decided.” Draco waved his wand, adding that to the notebook. “We can always change it later on if we aren’t comfortable.”

Hermione nodded. “Of course. As far as the pregnancy, clearly I will be the one handling that. How would you like to be involved?”

“During the pregnancy? Hermione, it’s my child, I want to be as involved as you would allow me to be.”

“Ah, ok, um, there will be doctor’s appointments and birthing classes and things, and baby showers, I’m not sure that you would want-”

“I’ll be there,” Draco promised. “I wouldn’t miss anything. And of course you won’t have to worry about paying anything, I’ll cover all the costs.”

“All of it?” Hermione said indignantly. “Rubbish. I am perfectly capable, and am fully intending to, cover costs for my children. Just because you are richer than God-”

Draco cut her off. “I didn’t mean to offend. I just meant that you won’t have to worry about me not contributing. And I mean it in any way. I fully intend to be an involved and present parent in each of my children’s lives. I know she loves me, but even my mother wasn’t the most present parent, and I always swore I would never give my child even a moment’s doubt that I didn’t want them here or love them.”

“Oh,” Hermione considered. “How about a compromise? We can have a joint Gringotts account to pay for things like taxes, combined bills, and anything involving the wedding or the children. That way we are both contributing.”

Draco thought for a moment and nodded shortly. “That sounds fair. I’ll ask Mark to get that setup this afternoon. However, you must let me pay for the wedding. After all, I’m richer than God,” he smirked at her. 

“Absolutely not,” she argued, “It is  _ our _ wedding and since both your and my friends will be there I think it’s only fair that we both contribute.”

Draco clearly wasn’t pleased. “Fine, but I’m paying for the honeymoon and I won’t argue with you about it.”

Hermione was taken aback. “A h-honeymoon?”

“Of course,” Draco blinked. 

“I wasn’t expecting that. It’s not as though this is a conventional wedding.”

“Maybe not,” Draco tilted his head. “But this very well could be the only wedding either of us have, depending on how the next ten years turn out. I would hate for you to miss out on something that is easily accomplished just because you felt like this wasn’t the real thing.”

Hermione stared at him for a moment. He had turned out to be much more thoughtful, much more considerate than she could have ever expected. Slowly, she agreed. “Alright. Do you know where you’d like to go?”

“Oh, I’m not telling,” Draco’s grin was devilish, almost boyish. “I need at least one surprise for my fiance.”

Hermione laughed. “Alright, fine. Just tell me what to pack.”

“And if the answer to that is no clothing..?”

Hermione gasped and laughed, shoving him playfully with her hand. “Ridiculous, Draco. You’re simply ridiculous.”

* * *

Hammering out their contract was surprisingly easy. It seemed to her as though everything was surprisingly easy with him. She was sure it wouldn’t last forever, but she was determined to enjoy it while it lasted nevertheless. He had taken her back to her flat after a lovely lunch at a ridiculously expensive Italian restaurant in Soho, leaving to turn in their signed contract to the Marriage & Procreation Office at the Ministry and take care of a few things for the wedding.

Hermione sat on her couch in an old t shirt and sweatpants, staring at her left hand. Draco had grabbed her hand as he had dropped her at her door, saying “it may be a horrible situation, but it’ll be a real marriage, for however long it will last, and should be celebrated as such.” She had been rendered speechless as he produced a box containing the most stunning engagement ring she had ever seen. Clearly antique, it was a braided gold band with an art deco style round setting, with tiny diamonds surrounding a large three carat emerald. She was amused at the color choice, but she didn’t mind. It was lovely, and it fit her hand, and her personality, perfectly.

Her Floo bell sounded then, alerting her to an incoming call. Ginny’s face appeared in the smoke and she answered the call, “Mione? You busy tonight?”

Hermione shook her head, “No, I’m free. What did you have in mind?”

“Hang on, I’m coming over.”

Ginny spun into her fireplace, dragging a very pregnant Luna Potter along with her, both of them wearing nice dresses and heels. “Oh, hi, Luna!”

“Hello, Hermione,” the blonde said in a dreamy voice. “Lovely ring.”

Hermione smiled and touched the ring on her hand. “Thank you. Draco gave it to me about an hour ago.”

“We know,” Ginny grinned. “He called a few minutes ago. He’s arranged a bit of a surprise for you.”

Hermione looked confused, “Okay?”

Ginny laughed. “Come on, just get dressed. It’s kind of a nice place, and we have an appointment in thirty minutes.”

“Huh?”

“Just go!”

Hermione quickly changed into a cream colored midi dress and nude heels and hurried along into the Floo with Ginny. They reappeared into the Floo in a lovely room, covered in marble with mirrored walls, luxury satin sofas, and diamond chandeliers. “Ginny, where are we?”

“Welcome to La Fleur Bridal Boutique,” a beautiful brunette in a crisp pant suit and sky high stilettos came walking toward them, speaking in slightly accented English. “You must be my three o’ clock. Miss Granger and Miss Weasley?”

Ginny nodded, “Draco Malfoy made our appointment.”

“He did what?” Hermione turned to look at Ginny. “He made us an appointment at a bridal boutique?”

“He and Blaise are paying for our wedding dresses, and anything else we decide to pick up,” Ginny winked at her. “They have a gorgeous lingerie selection.”

“My name is Annette, I am the designer here,” the woman smiled at them. “I have been given instructions that you may choose anything you’d like, regardless of the cost. Please, follow me to the showroom.”

Hermione felt like she was walking on a cloud as she followed them down the hallway, Ginny and Luna chattering away as Annette selected dress after dress for her and Ginny to try on. Her breath was taken away when she saw what was out the window. 

“We’re in Paris?” she asked in disbelief. “Draco scheduled an appointment for me to pick out my wedding dress in Paris?”

“Of course,” Annette said simply. “Nothing but the best for Mr. Malfoy.”

Hermione nodded, ignoring Ginny and Luna as she walked toward the window, staring out at the Eiffel Tower. This had to be a dream.

Luna settled into a comfortable chaise and the girls began trying on dress after dress. Two hours later, Ginny had selected a lovely white silk dress that clung to her curves and tied at each shoulder with paper thin straps, completing the ensemble with a pair of sheer pointed toe heels and a matching sheer strapless bra and panty set. Hermione hadn’t taken long to find hers - a beautiful ivory sleeveless dress with floral applique, a voluminous A-line tulle skirt, and a vneck that went deep enough to skirt the edge of propriety. Hermione decided on a simple pair of heels to match and a barely-there lace bra and thong set to go underneath, blushing as Annette quirked her eyebrow at the choice. The older brunette said nothing, though, and boxed up both of their choices, sending them each to their respective homes and thanking them for coming in.

* * *

The trio had gone to dinner at a small restaurant with a view of the Eiffel Tower, Ginny and Hermione drinking at least three bottles of wine between them and all of them enjoying the delicious food, laughing and gossiping the entire night. 

Hermione Flooed back to her apartment by herself, needing some time alone after the wonderful and slightly overwhelming day. Draco seemed to continue to surprise her, and as soon as she thought she had a lock on him, he did something to prove her wrong. Her memory of him as a child and later young man seemed to be starkly different than that of the benevolent and handsome man that she had been seeing over the past few days. She was scared to trust it, after all, she had been best friends with Ron for years before they got together, and he had shattered her heart into a million pieces. She hoped, though, that Draco was genuine.

She put the box containing her wedding things into the closet, sliding off her shoes and dress and padding into the bathroom to draw a bath. Turning the tap to the perfect temperature, she added in her favorite honey and vanilla bath oils and flicked her wrist to add in bubbles. As the steaming water filled the tub, she shook her curls loose of the bun they had been in. Massaging her scalp lightly to ease the tenderness, she looked at herself in the mirror. She had always been proud of her body, she ate healthily most of the time and exercised regularly. Long legs led to comfortably wide hips, a tapered waist, generous C cup breasts, and toned arms. She put a hand on her lower belly, fingers spreading, as she imagined what it would be like to be pregnant. 

She supposed she would find out soon enough, with the wedding and subsequent conception only weeks away. She sighed, dropping her hand and walking over to the tub to turn off the water. She had always known she wanted children, eventually. Especially when she was with Ron, she had just kind of assumed that their relationship would follow the normal steps, they would date, move in together, get married, and then eventually whenever the time was right, they would try for a couple babies and enjoy their family. After their breakup, that idea of her life had obviously disappeared, and her dreams of a happy family along with it.

Sinking into the warm water, and sighed and bit her lip as she thought about that morning, how Draco had said he wanted to try to conceive the natural way. Her memories of the previous weekend were slightly fuzzy, but she remembered the important parts quite vividly. How he had kissed her neck and sent electricity down her spine, how he asserted his dominance over her without making her feel threatened, how he had whispered excruciatingly hot obscenities in her ear, how he hadn’t even undressed himself until she had had two screaming orgasms at his hands and tongue. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as she recalled the encounter, one hand making its way down her body to settle between her legs and the other creeping up to massage a sensitive nipple, their encounter the weekend before swimming behind her lids. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 11

Hermione spent the next week counseling matched couples on the legality of the new decree, helping them decide how to split their finances, determine parental duties, set expectations, etc before they actually married. Hermione had been going over the final details of several match contracts from the day’s appointments when her doorbell rang. No one had ever actually come to the door in the year she had lived in this flat, everyone she knew either called by Floo or was written into her wards so they could Apparate in. She immediately drew her wand, cautiously approaching the door.

“Who is it?” she called, creeping closer on her tiptoes so the intruder wouldn’t know where she was.

“It’s your fiance,” Draco Malfoy’s smooth drawl answered. “I wasn’t close to a Floo and you haven’t redone your wards, so I had to walk.”

She opened the door quickly, seeing Draco dressed smartly in a black Muggle suit and tie with a tan overcoat and emerald green scarf that seemed to compliment his features perfectly. She was suddenly embarrassed by her current choice of attire, an old Bulgarian National Quidditch tee shirt from when she dated Viktor Krum over one summer, a pair of very tight, very short bike shorts, and a pair of fluffy bunny slippers that were more grey than white. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun that was beginning to look like a bird’s nest, and she was sure with her luck, her mascara had run all under her eyes.

“Er, would you like to come in?” she muttered, opening the door wider to allow his large frame to pass through.

“Of course,” Draco grinned at her, shaking the snow off of his coat. “I brought takeaway. You like Chinese?”

Hermione sniffed the air, the divine smell of her favorite spicy Szechuan prawns wafting into her nose as Draco produced the bag he had been keeping warm in his coat. “I love Chinese food. Did you get Szechuan prawns?”

Draco’s grin widened as he pulled out a container and handed it to her, heading into her kitchen. “A large order so we can share, I also have some fried rice, dumplings, noodles, and some chicken and beef options if you don’t want any of that. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I bought a selection.”

Hermione opened the container and began salivating. “This smells delicious. I hadn’t eaten dinner yet, this is very kind of you, Draco.”

“Potter mentioned that you usually don’t eat until late on appointment days,” he called from her kitchen. She heard him rooting around in the cupboards for plates. “I called your office this morning and Amanda said you’ve been booked up for the past few days so I thought I’d surprise you.”

Hermione thought she should be surprised at the gesture, but if the past two weeks had taught her anything about her betrothed, it was that she shouldn’t be surprised at anything. She hardly knew him before the war, except in an antagonistic sense, and he had clearly changed from even then. She grabbed the proffered plate from his hand and began to pile her plate with prawns, dumplings, and some kind of chicken in sauce that smelled heavenly. “There’s wine in the fridge if you’d like some.”

“Sure, I’ll take a glass. Want me to pour one for you as well?”

“Sure.”

Hermione walked over to her couch and cleared the files away from the coffee table, setting her plate and wine down and gesturing for him to join her. “I don’t use my dining table much, I usually only use it if I have guests over.”

“I’m not a guest?” he teased, setting his plate down next to hers.

Hermione thought for a moment. “Well, considering we’re getting married in two weeks, I would say no, you’re not a guest.”

“I guess I should clean up after dinner then as well, right? Since I’m not a guest.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and popped a dumpling into her mouth. “You go ahead and do that if you’d like. I’m not going to stop you.”

“I think I can do that. You clearly had a busy day,” Draco laughed, gesturing to her stack of files.

Hermione nodded. “Ten couples today. I’ve had twenty three appointments so far this week and I have eight more tomorrow. I also have some contracts to review for my private clients by Friday, a couple of your subsidiaries included. But I signed up for this so I’m not complaining.”

“Is there any way I can help?”

“No,” Hermione shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m unable to divulge any details as part of my client confidentiality agreements.”

Draco nodded. “Well, I can lend a member of my legal team as a temporary contractor if that would be helpful for you, only if you want the help of course. I know the personal aspect of your practice is very important to you.”

Hermione glanced over at him, he had kicked off his dress shoes and rolled his dress shirt up to his elbows, and currently had a smudge of some kind of sauce on the corner of his lip. He looked comfortable and adorable and the odd thing was, she didn’t feel the need to put up the strong-female-who-doesn’t-need-help facade for him. She smiled and wiped the sauce off his mouth with a napkin. “I am a bit overwhelmed with all this. I would love the extra help with some of my private clients. Thank you.”

Draco grinned and shoveled another forkful of rice and chicken into his mouth. “I’ll have Lorelei Nott come over to your office in the morning. She graduated from WU in December and has been interning with us for the past few months. Theo has been on my arse to give her more responsibility. I think she’s getting a bit bored fetching coffee for the senior counsel.”

“I didn’t realize Theo has a sister?”

“A half-sister. His father had an extramarital relationship with a muggleborn witch when we were young and kept them in a family home in France. Lorelei went to Beauxbatons and moved to be closer to Theo and Padma after her mother died a few years ago. She’s pretty bright, picks things up very quickly, and a hard worker. I think you’ll like her.”

“Well, I like Theo and Padma, so I’ll keep an open mind. I’m afraid the contracts that I go over won’t be much more interesting than fetching coffee.”

Draco shrugged. “Experience is experience. She’ll learn something from you if nothing else.”

Hermione nodded, “I’ll definitely have some things for her to do, I have a couple of meetings with your legal counsel from Pax Apothecaries that she can sit in on, as well. Just trying to work out how to get the fertility potions without bankrupting Pax.”

“Oh,” Draco shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. We set up that portion of the company to run at a loss so we can develop different specialty potions more affordably. It’s more of a research branch for us. There are other sectors that more than make up for any deficit from Pax.”

Hermione tilted her head in confusion, “Specialty potions?”

“Ones that are typically too expensive for the average witch or wizard to buy, so things like wolfsbane for werewolves and pheromone suppressant for Veelas, fertility potions, potions and tablets to help with different sexual issues like vaginal lubrication and erectile dysfunction, endometriosis and PCOS treatments, and contraceptives to name a few, although not so much on the contraception while the new law is in effect.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why so many reproductive focused projects?”

“Not at all. As part of my probation, since I am now the Head of Malfoy house, I was required to donate twenty percent of our total liquid assets to assist in the war reparation efforts. I was also assigned five hundred hours of Wizengamot-ordered community service, most of which I spent helping werewolf packs rebuild their communities after Fenrir Greyback and his crew forced the Alphas to bend the knee and destroyed everything. They were really the only people that didn’t care that I was a Malfoy - their issue was with Greyback and not Voldemort. It occurred to me then just how little those families have to begin with, and then they have to purchase Wolfsbane every month just to stay somewhat sane and it’s so expensive for them. I wanted to help in a way that wasn’t just throwing money at the problem. My father had just purchased a specialty potions laboratory just before our fourth year and hadn’t really done much with it, but I met with the remaining members of the board and surfaced the idea. They weren’t thrilled about how much money it would lose, of course, but once I found a way to replace the money that Pax was losing, they were more than happy to test the idea. We sell the potions at our cost, and we fund staffing, research, and development through a number of specialty retailers throughout Europe and North America. We add in more potions to the assortment whenever we see a hole in the community, and unfortunately, reproductive and sex potions aren't really a priority for most labs.”

“You surprise me, Draco,” Hermione said softly.

“Good,” he smiled at her. “I would hate to be predictable.”

Hermione grinned to herself. He definitely wasn’t that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> WARNING: There is explicit sex in this chapter. Please do NOT read if you are not of legal age.

Chapter 12

The club music pounded in Hermione’s ears, her body strumming with each downbeat. For the life of her, she would never understand why Ginny loved Muggle dance clubs so much - it could possibly be all the free booze that men and women sent her way trying to persuade her to grace them with a dance. Hermione preferred something much more lowkey, a pub or restaurant where she could have a few drinks, some good food, a laugh with her friends. A normal pub, however, was NOT an appropriate venue for their joint hen do, according to Ginny. Ergo, Hermione was now standing by the bar in heels that were much too high, a dress that was much too tight and too short, in a club that was much too crowded and too loud.

She was all for celebrating, but watching her best friend undulate on the dance floor with a very pregnant Luna Potter and a random Muggle guy was hardly her idea of a good time. Hermione sipped her fifth or sixth whiskey and soda, she couldn’t remember, and leaned against the bar. Ginny was getting married the next Sunday, two days away, and was determined to live it up while she was still able. Hermione rolled her eyes as she remembered the conversation, knowing full well that Ginny was very much in love with her fiance and would not even consider jumping in bed, or even in a cab, with another man. 

Not for the first time, Hermione found herself envious of Ginny. The redhead seemed to know exactly what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. With her fiance Blaise, Ginny had marched right up to him in her seventh year of Hogwarts, Blaise’s and Hermione’s eighth year, and told him in no uncertain terms that he would be escorting her to Hogsmeade the next weekend, and yes, she did expect flowers and a kiss at the end of the night. The normally talkative Blaise couldn’t seem to come up with a single thing to say except yes, and the couple had been inseparable ever since. Ginny and Blaise were still as hot and heavy as ever, even when they ran into each in public it wasn’t uncommon for them to run off to a loo for a quickie.

Hermione had never had a relationship like that. When she dated Viktor Krum, it was sweet. Gentle, yearning kisses and light caresses over her jeans or jumper were more Viktor’s style than a quick rough and tumble in a broom closet. She had gone on a couple of dates with a Muggle boy named Trevor the summer before her sixth year, each of them ending up in an unsatisfying roll in the back of a car that she wasn’t entirely sure belonged to him. Hermione thought she would have passion and romance with Ron, but they were so on again, off again that whenever they were together, she was always worried that even if she was able to trust him, she would never be able to relinquish control and really let herself go with him. After they were engaged, their sex life dwindled down to missionary position once per week if and only if she wasn’t on her period. She had bought lingerie and toys and suggested roleplay scenarios, but he claimed he loved her too much to ever be able to treat her in such a way in the bedroom. Turns out she just wasn’t what he wanted altogether.

With Draco, however...she bit her lip. It had been hot. Scorching hot. Granted, they had both been drunk and had tripped all over her apartment before tumbling into bed together, but she couldn’t remember a time that she had orgasmed as much or enjoyed herself as much in a single sexual encounter. The night was still slightly fuzzy, but the feelings were there, her nerve endings remembering distinctly how Draco had lightly traced over her skin with fingers, following with his tongue, and had buried his face in between her thighs for a solid thirty minutes. Hermione couldn’t remember if she had ever made herself come as hard as he had using only his tongue, but she had a feeling the answer was no, she hadn’t.

It may have been the whiskey speaking to her, but she suddenly had the urge to go see him, to see if what she was remembering was true. She let Ginny and Luna know that she was heading home and Apparated away, feeling the familiar pull behind her belly button as she spun away.

* * *

“Hermione?” she heard Draco ask in surprise as she popped into his living room. “What are you doing here, love?”

Her head was spinning from the whiskey and apparition, but she tried to stay steady on her heels. “Did I interrupt something?”

“No, not at all,” his pristine face came into focus now, his eyes were traveling over her dress, that did next to nothing to conceal her body underneath. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” Hermione pulled off her first heel and then the other. “I just wanted to see if you were up for a little experiment.”

“Experiment?” his brow quirked. “What kind of experiment?”

“Well, you remember the other weekend, when we, you know?”

He smirked. “Yes, I remember.”

“I wanted to test and make sure it wasn’t a fluke, you know,” she tiptoed over to him, trying her best to look sexy and alluring. 

He swallowed hard. “What do you mean, love?”

“I mean, I remember it being pretty fucking great,” she grinned, sitting down on the chair next to the couch where he currently was shifting uncomfortably. “But I don’t know if that was only because we were both drunk and remembering incorrectly. What if we get married and have no chemistry in the bedroom? We need to test it out, to make sure we’re compatible.”

Draco nodded slowly, then got up, heading toward his bathroom. “One second.”

He reemerged, holding a small vial in his hand. He offered it to her. “What is this?”

“Sober Up,” he said smoothly. “I’ll only do this if you really want to do this.”

She met his eyes as she took the vial from his hand and downed it in one gulp. She felt slightly embarrassed about her bold proposition, but if she was being honest, yes. She wanted to have sex with him again, and she didn’t want it to be tainted by the buzz of a fertility potion or bonding magic. She wanted to remember their first (sober) time with fondness, even if they did choose to dissolve their marriage after the ten years were up.

“So?” he asked. “Still want to do it?”

She nodded but didn’t say anything, instead she stood up from the chair and slowly unzipped the side of her dress, letting it fall to the floor to reveal a matching sheer lacy black bra and thong set that left nothing to the imagination. Draco sucked in a breath as he took in the sight of her body, reaching for her and scooping her up in his arms bridal style.

She couldn’t remember seeing his bedroom, but it was cohesive with the rest of the house. A large wooden bed took up the majority of the space, with white and light grey silk sheets, and the most luxurious carpeting she had ever felt under her feet. Draco had set her down gingerly, waving a hand to dim the lights. She stood in front of him, never breaking eye contact as she slowly unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. His hands covered hers, taking control as he unbuttoned the rest and pulled the fabric off of his body. 

It was Hermione’s turn to suck in a breath. He was beautifully formed, with lean muscles and pale skin that covered a broad chest. His entire torso was criss-crossed with scars, but Hermione didn’t care. She had scars of her own, both physical and mental. He was gorgeous.

He divested himself of his pants, but left his boxers on. He stepped close to her, cradling her head in his hands. “You know we can’t go back after this? No backing out, no refusing the law?”

She searched his face and found only a vulnerability that she found endearing. “I know.”

He captured her lips with his, his kiss igniting a fire deep in Hermione’s belly. He slowly pulled down each brad strap, reaching around to unclasp the confining garment and release her breasts. Hermione gasped as his fingers ghosted lightly over her pebbled nipples, his kisses still keeping her very occupied as his hands traveled further down, caressing her ass and pulling her thong off with a sharp tug. He suddenly broke their kiss, picking Hermione up and tossing her on the bed, knocking the breath out of her.

He stood at the foot of the bed and hooked his fingers under the waistband of his boxers, shedding them quickly. He crawled up the bed, hovering over Hermione’s body as she breathed heavily under him. “You’re beautiful, you know that?” he kissed up her belly, over her breasts, and settled on her neck, gently kissing and nipping along. “I plan to spend every day we are wed letting you know just how much you turn me on.”

Hermione moaned and pressed up against him. “Thank you,” she grinned. “You’re quite handsome yourself.” She brought her hands up to his shoulders and head, tangling them in his hair. She pulled him up to kiss him again, pulling him flush to her. She felt his erection at the junction of her thighs and rolled her hips into it, eliciting a strangled groan from the large man. He pinned her, surprising her, and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “You better be careful, little girl, that you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

A gush of warmth flooded Hermione’s body at his words and she moaned. “Oh,” he chuckled, kissing down her neck again. “You like when I talk to you, do you?”

“Mmhmm,” she gasped as he took a sensitive nipple into his mouth. “I like it a lot.”

“Are you going to tell me what else you like?”

A blush spread over Hermione’s cheeks. “I-I like that, when you use your mouth.”

He rolled her other nipple between his fingers as he sucked hard on the first, breaking to talk to her. “I love hearing you moan for me, baby. You like it when I play with these gorgeous tits, huh? How about this beautiful pussy, baby?” 

He moved his fingers down to gently caress her already soaking folds. She gasped as he circled her clit once, twice. He brought his fingers to her mouth. “Will you get them nice and wet for me?” 

She took them into her mouth, sucking hard, imagining they were his cock as she moved her tongue over them. He swore, pulling them out and moving them back to her clit to rub it in slow circles. The electricity pulsing through her body was positively divine, and she bucked her hips into his hand as he continued, using his mouth to alternate teasing one nipple and then the other. “Draco, please!”

“What do you need, love?”

“I need you, please.” She pushed at him, rolling them over so that she was on top. He leaned back, groaning as she began to mirror his earlier actions, kissing and nipping down his body. She smirked when she got to his cock. It was bigger than anyone she had ever been with, which wasn’t saying much, but she could definitely have some fun. She leaned down, locking her chocolate eyes on Draco’s icy grey as she slowly took him into her mouth, sucking gently and then a bit harder, her tongue dancing over the tip. 

His fists balled up in the sheets as his eyes rolled back into his head. He was clearly struggling not to thrust up into her mouth. Getting an idea, Hermione took him all in, her nose dusting his pubic bone as she relaxed her throat. She stayed down until she couldn’t breathe anymore, came up for air, and then took him down her throat again. Her pace got faster and faster, Draco’s hand eventually wove itself into her hair, guiding her head down as he stared wide-eyed at her. Hermione had a bit of an oral fixation, but no one that she had been with had been willing to let her experiment on them. The raw fire in Draco’s eyes every time Hermione came up gave her goosebumps, her pussy was leaking slick down her thighs at the experience.

He pulled her up, rolling them again so that he was on top. He kissed her roughly, and growled, “That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, baby.” His fingers found their way to her pussy, they circled her clit and then plunged into her. Hermione cried out, the feeling of fullness just from his fingers was so damn delicious. “You just fucked your own face on my cock, love. You want me to treat your pussy the same way? Shoving in deep and rough, pounding you into the fucking mattress, huh?”

She nodded frantically, bucking her hips into his hand. “Yes, yes, yes, please!”

He smirked again, withdrawing from her and moving so that his cock was lined up. “Are you ready?”

She bit her lip and nodded, spreading her legs wider for him. He gripped her hips and slowly sank into her, earning a deep groan from both of them. He began to move slowly, and then faster, pinning her legs down to the bed with a charm to keep her spread wide for him. His finger began circling her clit again, matching the rhythm of his thrusts, and Hermione saw stars. He was just hitting that one spot oh-so-perfectly and oh!

Hermione screamed his name as she came, her pussy clamping down on him tightly as he rode her through her orgasm. Draco shuddered and sped up his thrusts, going deeper and harder, and making Hermione wail in pleasure. “Yes, oh, Merlin, fucking yes! Fuck me, Draco, please!

He stopped suddenly and pulled out of her, Hermione protesting at the loss. He leaned over her and nipped at her nipple hard, sending a jolt of pleasure down Hermione’s spine before flipping her over and pulling her ass toward him. He entered her pussy again from behind, and Hermione shrieked as he went even deeper. “You like that, baby, huh? You like me fucking you from behind like a fucking slut?”

She mewled, “Yes, yes, I love it! It’s so good, baby!”

He reached around and used one hand to grab and pull at her nipples, the other one going to her clit. She was being forced face-first into the mattress with every thrust and she couldn’t care less. He felt so good, he was in control, he was taking care of her. He sped up his thrusts, releasing her clit and nipple to grab tightly on her hips and sink deeper and deeper. Hermione screamed again as another orgasm washed over her. He fucked her through the waves of pleasure, his thrusts getting shorter and shorter as he got closer to his own orgasm. He held her head down into the mattress as he came, her pussy milking him dry as he shot his load deep into her. He got off of her and flipped her again, burying his head between her thighs and lapping up their combined juices.

Hermione gripped his head, her fingers tangled tightly in his hair, as he ate her pussy, his tongue toying with her clit and then licking long, smooth strokes from bottom to top. He brought in two fingers, pumping her as he sucked on her so-sensitive clit. Her vision started to give way as she climbed higher and higher. She locked her legs around his head and rode his tongue, her hips bucking as bliss overtook her. 

She opened her eyes to Draco’s concerned face over her, her juices still glistening on his mouth. She brought a tired hand up to bring his face to hers, kissing him deeply, reveling in the distinct pleasure of tasting herself and him on his lips. She let him go and flopped down to the bed, feeling entirely boneless and satisfied for the first time in her life.

“You alright?” he asked her, laying down next to her and tracing patterns on her sternum with a lazy finger. “You blacked out for a moment.”

“Oh, I’m more than alright,” she sighed happily, snuggling closer to him. “I’ve never been better.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> WARNING: There is explicit sex in this chapter. Please do NOT read if you are not of legal age.

Chapter 13

Ginny gasped in shock as Hermione regaled the colorful events of her last Friday evening, “You fucked him? Again?”

Hermione nodded and quickly motioned for her friend to keep quiet. “Yep. After your hen do. And I slipped out yesterday morning and haven’t spoken to him since.”

Ginny snorted. “You realize he’s the best man and you’ll be quite literally walking down the aisle with him in less than two hours?”

Hermione screwed her eyes shut, tilting her head toward the ceiling of the bridal suite. “I know, Gin.”

“And that he’s your betrothed and you’ll be seeing him roughly every day for at least the next ten years and engaging in consistent sex until you conceive?”

“I know,” she whined. “But Gin, it was..it was next level incredible. I don’t know how to look at him after that.”

A knock on the door drew the women’s attention. “Ladies, you have an hour until we’re taking places,” Charlie Weasley grinned at them, looking dashing in a black suit and tie. “You still have time to get out of marrying him, Gin. I’ll cover for you if you want to run away to Romania.”

Ginny threw a wandless hex his way and laughed as he ducked. “Fuck you, Charlie. You’re so full of shit.”

Charlie smiled and winked at Hermione, taking in her lavender gown with an

appreciative glance. “You look lovely, by the way, Miss Granger.”

“Haven’t you heard, Charlie?” she questioned teasingly. “It’s to be Mrs. Malfoy soon.”

He nodded, “I did hear. Congratulations are in order for you and the ferret I suppose. Speaking of which, he’s here as well and is asking anyone who knows you if they’ve heard from you. He’s a bit frantic.”

Hermione gulped and nodded. “Ginny, will you be alright if I go speak with him?”

Ginny pushed Hermione out of the chair and toward the door. “Go! Go! Maybe sneak in a quickie too, eh?”

“Oh, hush!” Hermione blushed, hurrying away to find Draco.

* * *

The handsome blonde was pacing an empty corridor, tugging on his tie to loosen it. “Granger,” he greeted as he saw her, pausing.

“Draco,” she greeted. “Are you well?”

Draco stared at her for a long second and shook his head. “Well, the woman I’m meant to be marrying in about a week showed up as my flat unannounced two nights ago, shagged my brains out, snuck out the next morning and hasn’t responded to my owls or Floo messages since. So, no,  _ Hermione _ , I would say I’m not doing well.”

Hermione looked to her shoes, the glitzy lavender stilettos Ginny had selected for her as maid of honor casting glitter shadows in the marble floor of the corridor. “I’m sorry, Draco. I-I didn’t mean to, I mean, I didn’t want to, I mean, I was confused!”

“And you think I wasn’t? That I’m not still?”

Hermione glanced back up at him. She honestly hadn’t considered his feelings at all. She had been so desperate to get out of his flat yesterday morning, to flee the foreign emotions that were welling up inside her, that she didn’t pause to think about him once. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the words that would comfort him. They weren’t there. 

“Was it not good for you?” Draco questioned her. “Because to me it was bloody electric, and I was under the impression that you felt the same, however-”

“No!” she cut him off quickly, stepping closer and taking his hand in her own. “It was. Electric, I mean. I can honestly say I can’t remember a sexual encounter in my life that was more satisfying or exhilarating than what we did two nights ago.”

“Then why did you leave?”

Hermione brought his hand to her cheek. “I’ve never had someone  _ care _ so much before. About my experience. I think it may have scared me a bit.”

“What do you mean?” Draco furrowed his brows in confusion. 

“Well,” Hermione’s throat was dry with embarrassment. She wasn’t a particularly emotionally available person, but she was fighting her natural instinct to run away for him, for this potential life they would have together for the next decade. “Viktor was lovely, but he didn’t really know how to make sex feel as good for a woman as it does for a man. I think Ron knew, and just didn’t really care. He assumed I would approach the bedroom like I approach everything else, with a logical and analytical process that would not be worth exploring much beyond the obligatory missionary once or twice per week. Before our first time, I had never had an orgasm that wasn’t brought by my own hand.”

His hand tensed on her face, gently drawing her body closer to his own. “Never?”

Hermione shook her head and finally looked into his eyes. “Never.”

“Oh, love,” his mouth tightened in a grimace. “I’m so sorry. If you’ll allow me, I’ll make it my mission to rectify that for you.”

She grinned at him, her heart melting at the sight of his eyes lighting up with mirth. He leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “And we can start right now.”

“Draco, I, we-we can’t! Blaise and Ginny are getting married in an hour!”

He shrugged, walking her back into a shadowy alcove of the corridor. “Then we have an hour. They won’t need us until the ceremony.” He dropped a kiss to her exposed shoulder. Damn Ginny and her ridiculous fashion choices - sleeveless dresses in February? His kiss heated as he brought it just beneath her ear and she bit back a moan.

“You’ll have to be fast.”

He smirked cheekily. “Want to time it?”

Hermione rolled her eyes and kissed him deeply, wrapping her arms around his neck as he propped her up on a cabinet that was conveniently placed in the alcove. She waved her wand, casting a quick  _ Silencio _ charm to keep them from being overheard. 

Draco placed hot, open mouthed kisses down her collarbone and decolletage, his finger ghosting over her breast through the dress. Her nipples pebbled as she keened, arching into him as he twisted the sensitive bud through the thin fabric of her dress, the other hand traveling down to bunch up her skirt.

He winked as her and got down on his knees, pushing her skirt up to her waist and spreading her thighs, vanishing her lacy knickers with a handy bit of wandless magic. Keeping solid eye contact, he used his tongue to lick the length of her slit, settling near the top to dance on her clit and elicit the most wonderful sensations.

Hermione groaned and buried her hands in his hair, not caring anymore whether anyone saw them. They’d learn something, right? She gasped as she felt him bring a finger to her entrance, pushing it into her slowly and stretching her deliciously. Her hips bucked against his hand as he added a second, never stopping his assault on her clit. She ground into his face, hands still buried in his hair as the electricity traveled up and down her body.

She freed one of her hands and slipped it under her dress. The dress was paper thin, with nothing but spaghetti straps holding the fabric to her body. She pushed one of the straps down, exposing her breast and twist her own nipple as Draco licked and sucked and finger fucked her pussy. “Oh, oh, yes, Draco! Yes, please!”

“Please what, love?” He paused for a moment, stopping only to look up at her, his finger still pumping slowly in and out of her now weeping passage.

“Please, fuck me, sir,” she said, the word slipping out without her realizing it.

His already stormy eyes darkened and he stood, his fingers still working their magic. Hermione put her hands on his belt buckle and freed his straining erection, tugging him slightly to bring him closer to her. He pulled him fingers out, bringing them to him mouth to suck them clean. Hermione whimpered. 

His lips trapped hers in a heated kiss as he positioned himself and slid into her wet heat. They both groaned as he pulled out nearly all the way, pistoning his cock back into her at a punishing pace. Draco nipped and sucked on her neck and exposed breast while Hermione reached down and began to circle her fingers around her clit, only stopping when Draco’s hand flew to grab hers, pausing them both.

“I told you, love, I am in charge of your orgasms from now on.”

Hermione didn’t think she could get any wetter, but at his words, her insides turned into molten lava. She nodded quickly. “Yes, sir.”

He began fucking her again, his own fingers dancing over her clit as she was pushed into the wall, not complaining a single bit. Hermione felt the coils and tension begin tightening deep in her belly. She raked her nails across Draco’s clothed back and tried her best to buck her hips in time with his thrusts.

“Please, please,” she whimpered into his ear. “Please, may I come?”

“Yes, baby,” he grunted. “Come for me. Come while I fuck you in this corridor, you gorgeous girl.”

Hermione let go. She saw stars behind her eyelids in a pattern that was growing eerily familiar. Her walls clenched around him as he emptied himself into her, groaning softly into her ear.

They both stayed still for a moment, breathing heavily and absorbing the other’s scent. Draco pulled out of her and tucked himself away, casting a quick charm to clean himself up. Hermione followed suit, pulling her dress back over her breast and readjusting her skirt.

“Do you need me to clean up the remnants?” Draco asked, gesturing between her legs. “There was quite a bit of fluids.”

Hermione leaned up on her toes to kiss him softly. “And why would you do that, when I can feel your come in me for the rest of the day?”

He groaned hotly into her ear and returned her kiss, his passion kindling another fire in her belly. “Don’t say things like that and expect to go home without me, love. There will be a round two. And three. And four.”

Hermione smirked a very Malfoy-esque smirk and began to walk back to the bridal suite where Ginny was waiting for her. “Looking forward to it.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plotlines belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 14

Hermione swayed in Draco’s arms as the band played a jazzy version of Frank Sinatra’s song “Witchcraft.” Her heels had long since been abandoned and she was a glass of champagne away from either falling asleep or jumping Draco’s bones right here on the dance floor, although she had yet to decide which.

Ginny and Blaise’s wedding had been absolutely stunning, of course. Hosted in one of the many Italian villas that Blaise’s mother had inherited from one of her late husbands, the couple had set up their wedding reception to be an indoor-outdoor affair. Tables covered in expensive linens filled the ballroom, while a full jazz band played outside on the terrace, with candles suspended above it all so wedding guests could mill about and dance to their heart’s content. 

Ginny had shared a sweet father-daughter dance with Arthur to “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole, while Blaise twirled his mother around the dance floor. Ginny and Blaise were glued to each other at the hips for their first dance, a spicy tango that made Molly avert her gaze. Ginny’s brothers, with the exclusion of Ron, had made a garish toast involving a lewd dance number that had Hermione doubled over in tears, unable to contain her laughter. Draco had made a lovely speech about fresh beginnings and growing families that filled her with a feeling that she couldn’t quite place a finger on, and for Hermione’s maid of honor speech, she had jokingly created a Muggle slideshow with pictures from their Hogwarts days and Ginny’s hen do, with her own narration over the top, earning a playful glare from the beautiful bride and a mirthful clap on the back from the groom.

And now here they were. Less than a month ago, they were acquaintances at best. She would even go so far as to say that she and Draco had been rivals once upon a time. But here she was now, reveling in the afterglow of her pre-wedding orgasm at her fiance’s tongue while they soaked in the ambiance of their friends’ beautiful wedding and danced to Frank Sinatra. The term  _ surreal _ came to mind. 

A loud crash brought Hermione quickly out of her reverie, her hand immediately going to her wand at her thigh. A glance over to Draco told her that he had felt the same trepidation, his arm had moved quickly to push her behind him as he drew his own wand. Hermione rolled her eyes as she saw it was only Ronald, who had showed up to the party very late and already drunk, demanding the most expensive food from the chef Ginny and Blaise had hired to cater the event. Evidently he had violently bumped into a server, causing a tray full of empty champagne flutes to go crashing to the ground and was now cursing the ear off of anyone who would listen. 

Hermione was sad to say that she wasn’t surprised. Even toward the end of their relationship, Ron had been partial to his liquor and violent outbursts. Not that Hermione could say anything against him, of course. The past two times she had gotten even remotely tipsy, she had ended up falling into bed with her now-fiance, not that she regretted that even the slightest bit. She remembered a particularly embarrassing family dinner about a year ago where Ron had simultaneously hit on Bill’s wife Fleur and disparaged her family in the same breath, causing Ron and Bill to come to blows in the back garden. 

“Oi! I’ve every right to bloody be here, ya know!” she heard him shouting at one of the Aurors that Ginny and Blaise had brought with them to serve as security. “I’m family, I am!”

“For Merlin’s sake, Ronald!” Ronald’s own fiance Astoria Greengrass seemed to materialize from within the house. “Behave yourself!”

“Eh, don’t tell me what to do, woman,” he slurred, swinging around to look at her. “I’m a man, and if I want to fuckin’, eh, fuckin’ get some bloody food, I’ll get some sodding food!”

Hermione couldn’t help but let out a snort. It always came back to food with him, didn’t it? One track mind and all that. The redhead fixed his eye on her. “Oi, ‘Mione, what’s with the dress? You look like a fuckin’ whore with your tits all out like ‘at.”

Hermione’s face heated with anger. Draco tensed beside her and spoke in an icy tone. “You will not speak to my fiance that way, Weasley. She deserves better than to be leered out by a sloppy drunk who can hardly stand upright.”

“Your fiance?” Ron laughed, staggering toward them. Hermione gripped her wand. “She’s only with you because of that bloody law, innit? Otherwise, she’d still be mopin’ over me.”

“Actually, Ronald,” Hermione said quietly, wrapping an arm around Draco’s waist. “We got together before we found out we had been matched.”

The look on Ron’s face changed so quickly Hermione flinched. “What? You did what?” He pointed angrily at her. “You bloody slag! You fucked him, didn’t you?”

“It’s none of your bloody business, Weasley. What Hermione does is no concern of yours. You and Astoria made sure of that,” Draco hissed, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his wand.

“Ronald, let’s just go inside,” Astoria whined, attempting to pull her fiance back into the house.

Ron pulled his arm free of her and took another step toward Draco and Hermione, now so close that Hermione could smell the stink of Ogden’s finest on his breath. Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she burrowed closer to Draco. 

“Well, enjoy my sloppy seconds, Malfoy,” he leered, reaching out a clammy hand to stroke Hermione’s arm. “She was a lousy lay anyway.”

Draco sighed and stepped away from Hermione, pocketing his wand. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

Without another word, Draco lunged at Ron, punching him first in the nose, instantly breaking it, and then raining a barrage of punches onto him. Hermione and Astoria attempted to pull them off of each other, each of the women attempting to dodge the errant fists flying through the air. Ron swung wildly, knocking Hermione square in the chest and sending her flying until she hit something very hard and very solid. Sounds blurred together, and her vision darkened until there was quiet.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All recognizable plot lines or characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 15

_ “Please, baby, please wake up. Darling, can you hear me?” _

_ “Hermione, are you alright? Can you hear me?” _

_ “Hermione, love, he didn’t know what he was doing. Honestly, he didn’t. You know how he gets when he gets stressed at work.” _

_ “What the bloody hell were you thinking, Ron? Fighting on Ginny’s wedding day? I’ll have to arrest you for this, you know that, right?” _

_ “Stop making excuses for him, he’s a grown man and he knows better! We taught him better!” _

_ “We only have a week, love. Please, please, will you wake up for me?” _

_ “I’ll bloody kill him. Fighting, and on my fucking wedding day! My own brother, I can’t fucking believe it” _

_ “Darling, I told you we shouldn’t have invited him! It would only cause drama, didn’t I tell you that?” _

_ “Baby, please. If you can hear me, please be okay. Please wake up.” _

_ “She’ll be fine, Mr. Malfoy. She’ll have a pretty severe headache for the next few days and some bruising where her shoulder and ribs hit the column, but we expect she’ll make a full recovery.” _

Hermione’s head throbbed as colors swam back into her line of vision. She blinked slowly, Draco’s face coming into focus. His grey eyes flooded with relief and he pulled her hands to his face. “Thank Merlin.”

“What happened?” she croaked, her voice stiff. She saw a few of the wedding guests behind him, Ginny and Blaise, Molly and Arthur, as well as a woman in white medical robes that she assumed was a Healer. “Where’s Ron?”

“Potter arrested him for drunk and disorderly conduct, as well as instigating a brawl, assault, and battery.” Blaise answered, his own arm wrapped protectively around his wife. “Took him back to London to be booked. He probably won’t get any time, but a hefty fine and some community service for sure.”

“Arrested?” she was confused, her memory of the night was still hazy, only coming back in pieces. 

“He said some nasty things to you, love,” Draco said quietly. “So I punched the motherfucker. He threw a right hook too wide and hit you square into a marble column. You’ve been out for an hour.”

“An hour?”

“We believe you’ll be right as rain in just a bit, Miss Granger,” the Healer with the white robes said warmly. “Just a bump on the head and some bruising on your back, but other than that, no major injuries.”

Hermione closed her eyes and breathed slowly, taking it in. “I’m sorry, Gin. I didn’t realize-”

“Oh, come off it,” Ginny waved her away dismissively. “I was so bloody furious with the bastard that I would have done the same. Blaise had to restrain me from hexing him into the sea.”

The Healer and Draco helped her stand slowly to her feet. She was still dizzy, and she knew her head and shoulder were going to be sore for days. She hugged Ginny and Blaise goodbye, sending them off on their honeymoon with the rest of the wedding guests, and walked slowly with Draco back to her hotel room.

* * *

Draco set the small pouch of potions vials down on her nightstand and helped her sit, taking off her shoes one by one and hanging her coat in the closet. She chuckled at him. “Draco, I’m bruised, not an invalid. I can get undressed on my own.”

He looked back at her, eyeing her carefully. “I am fully aware that you are very capable, love. But this is my fault, and I intend to at least try to make up for it a little bit by taking care of you.”

Hermione stood quickly, much too quickly by the way her vision bobbed, and took his arm. “This was not your fault. Ronald is a bastard and he’s always been the first to throw lashes, especially after he’s been drinking,” She reached a hand up to cradle his face. “It’s not your fault. Say it, Draco.”

His icy grey eyes held hers, a strange mixture of emotions fighting for dominance in them. “It’s not my fault.”

She nodded, dropping her hand. “It’s not your fault. Now help me into the bath, please.”

“I thought you said you didn’t need my help?” he said wryly.

“Oh, I don’t need your help,” she smirked devilishly back at him. “But these bruise potions are most effective when massaged on freshly clean skin. And I believe you have some promises from earlier to keep.”

Draco smirked in return, picking up the pouch as he followed her into the bathroom and shedding his jacket as he went.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Any recognizable plot lines or characters belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> Quick A/N: I have an Instagram account now! If you'd like to see photos of inspiration for outfits/settings/etc, follow on Insta!

Chapter 16

"Will you stop fussing? You look lovely," Ginny admonished Hermione as she batted Hermione's hand away from her just-done hair and the dozens of delicate pins holding her veil onto her head.

Hermione and Ginny were sitting in one of the fourteen bedroom suites in the Malfoy's Essex estate, a large mansion that sat on fifty acres of some of the most charming gardens that Hermione had ever seen. The day had come for Draco and Hermione's wedding, and even though this was a Ministry-mandated event in her life, she could not help but feel extremely nervous. She had spent the past hour trying to avoid mussing her dress or hair and had been pacing the room so anxiously that Ginny nearly had to dose her with a calming potion just to get her to the ceremony.

A knock on the door caught Hermione's attention. "May I come in?" Narcissa Malfoy poked her head in, even the simple movement looking elegant.

"Of course," Hermione welcomed the older woman. "Ginny, would you mind giving us a moment?"

Even after years under house arrest, Narcissa was simply the most graceful woman that Hermione had ever laid eyes on. She was clad in light grey dress robes that seem to be perfectly tailored to highlight her slim figure and striking features, and Hermione swore she didn't look a day older than thirty-five. The older woman floated into the room, stopping just a breadth away from Hermione, seemingly studying her.

Hermione took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She recognized that her first official meeting with the woman who would very shortly be her mother-in-law was very significant. She had spoken at the Malfoy matriach's trial after the war, but had hardly spoken to the woman at all since. Narcissa had been on house arrest without her wand since her trial, Lucius had only just been released from Azkaban the previous year and had been on house arrest as well, stripped of his magic totally. Hermione had pulled a few strings with Kingsley and the Wizengamot so that they could attend the wedding, a sort of wedding gift from her to Draco.

Narcissa nodded and smiled stiffly. "You will do."

Hermione let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."

"No, Miss Granger. Thank you."

Hermione looked at the older woman in confusion. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

Narcissa cleared her throat, "I have never seen my son happier than he has been over the course of the last few weeks. I understand that you have been responsible for that."

"Oh, er," Hermione struggled to find the words to say. "I won't say that this was either of our first choices. The law was thrust upon us rather suddenly. But I do believe we will have a harmonious marriage however long it lasts."

"That is all I can ask," she paused, turning to go back toward the door. She paused, looking over her shoulder. "Miss Granger?"

"Yes?"

"Please take care of him. He is all that I have left."

Hermione nodded. "I will do my best."

"I know you will. Darling," she nodded to Draco as she left, his tall frame leaning against the door, looking dashing in his wedding suit, his hand covering his eyes.

"Is it still bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?" he asked her, a cheeky grin betraying his playful mood.

"Yes," Hermione insisted, laughing at him. "It is very bad luck."

"What about a kiss then?" Draco asked, stepping into the room.

"Hmm, I suppose that wouldn't technically be breaking etiquette," Hermione perched up on her tiptoes, lightly grazing his lips with her own in a chaste kiss.

He laughed and kissed her back, his free hand grabbing her hip. "You look beautiful."

"You can't even see me!"

"What does that matter? I know my fiance, and she is gorgeous even in her ratty sweatpants and t-shirt."

She smacked his chest playfully. "They are not ratty!"

"Eh, agree to disagree," he pulled her in for another quick kiss and broke away quickly, reaching into his jacket pocket. "I have something for you."

"What's this?" She took the long velvet box in her hand, opening it to reveal a beautiful gold chain necklace with a single three carat rectangle cut emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds. She gasped, "Draco."

"To match your ring," he explained. "It's Malfoy tradition to pass down a family heirloom to welcome a new bride into the family. I thought this would be appropriate. We can pick out something else if you don't like it."

"Oh, no, Draco, it's beautiful. It's too much, really."

He shrugged and smiled. "As someone told me recently, I have more money than God, so I can spare an emerald or two."

Hermione laughed and pulled the delicate chain out of the box, fastening it around her neck. It lay perfectly between her collarbones, complimenting the neckline of her dress perfectly. "It's perfect."

He smirked. "I knew it."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Hermione quirked an eyebrow.

"It does seem to be getting about that time, doesn't it?" he pecked her lips quickly and left. "See you soon, love."

Hermione stared after him, Ginny appeared next to her, watching Malfoy trotting down the stone staircase, whistling all the way.

"He's got a great arse," the redhead commented, tilting her head slightly to get a better look.

Hermione nodded in agreement. Her future husband was quite the specimen.

* * *

Their ceremony was small, and absolutely gorgeous. They had decorated one of the smaller gardens in the back of the grounds with twinkling lights wrapped in the trees and bushes, and perfectly bloomed flowers charmed to stay vibrant and full in the chill of the early March air. Lit candles floated above the ceremony and lined the aisle, surrounded by flower petals to serve as the main walkway of the ceremony.

Ginny preceded her with Blaise, Draco's best man. Harry had walked her down the aisle, harps and violins charmed in the corner to play the melody of the Muggle wedding march. Hermione swore she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. This wedding was just a mandate, wasn't her choice at all, but the butterflies in her stomach were very much real. Draco turned around when she was about halfway down the aisle, his eyes widening and practically sparkling as a huge smile split his face, taking Hermione's breath away. Harry pat Draco on the shoulder as she handed her bouquet to Ginny, the younger woman tearing up already.

Hermione took Draco's hand, a small jolt of electricity coursing through her as Draco peered down at her. "I told you you looked beautiful," he whispered, "You're sure you want to do this? You still have time?"

"You mean you still have time," she teased, squeezing his hand gently. "I promise, I want to."

Draco and Hermione had exchanged simple, traditional Muggle vows, and held each other's gaze as the Ministry official wrapped ribbons around their clasped hands. Red ribbon, for fertility and good health, green ribbon, for luck and prosperity, pale blue ribbon, for tranquility and understanding, yellow ribbon, for balance and harmony, and a thin glittering white ribbon, to symbolize the spiritual joining of their magicks as a bonded couple.

"The twining of these cords symbolizes the bond that Draco and Hermione will share going forward as a bonded couple. From this day forth, they are one unit, tied together with the strong bonds of commitment and duty and shared magic. With the entwining of this knot, I tie all the desires, dreams, love, prayers, and happiness wished here in this place to your lives." The Ministry official tapped his wand on the ribbons covering their forearms. The ribbons glowed brightly and disappeared, sending a wave of magic over the newly wedded couple and adding two new names to the rapidly expanding marriage registry at the Ministry of Magic.

Hermione felt a haze of warmth flow over her and settle in her lower abdomen, causing her to flush with the intensity of the bonding enchantment. By the way Draco's eyes darkened as he looked at her, she knew he had felt it as well. And this was without fertility potions, Hermione couldn't imagine how intense her desire would be for Draco if they had chosen the medically enhanced route for their wedding night.

* * *

Similar to Ginny and Blaise's wedding, Hermione and Draco had kept their reception fairly small, but had treated their guests to a gorgeous meal, an open bar, and a lively band that encouraged dancing. Thankfully, there were no dramatic encounters to be had except for an awkward farewell to Lucius and Narcissa before the reception began. Draco had stiffly shaken his father's hand, not saying a word. Lucius had disapparated shortly after, not sparing Hermione a second glance. Narcissa had kissed Draco and Hermione before leaving as well, the Auror acting as their parole officer following them back to Malfoy Manor.

Hours into the night, more than a little tipsy and danced out for the evening, Draco and Hermione walked back to their newlywed suite on the back of the estate, a small cottage nestled in the privacy of the property's expansive orchard, leaving the main house for the wedding guests to sleep off their hangovers. Ginny had graciously moved all of Hermione's things to the small house before the ceremony, including the vials of fertility potion that had been sent to them the day before.

"So," Hermione gestured to the vials as she kicked off her shoes. "What do you think?"

Draco had loosened his tie and shed his jacket, still looking jaw-droppingly handsome in only his dress shirt and slacks. He fixed her with a curious gaze and strode over, taking her face in his hands. "I think that I might just be the luckiest bastard in Britain tonight."

Hermione laughed and batted his arms away. "You know what I mean! Should we take the potions tonight? Get it over with, as it were?"

Draco shrugged. "It's up to you, love. What's the difference in a day?"

Hermione agreed, handing a vial to him and taking a vial herself, unstopping the cork. "Cheers."

The gold liquid was sickly sweet and slid down the back of her throat thickly, making her cough. "That's disgusting, you couldn't improve the taste?" she asked dryly.

Draco shot his back like a tequila shot, chucking the vial into the sink when he finished. "It used to be a lot worse. This is after multiple trials of flavorings."

Hermione began to heat up instantly, the room feeling incredibly warm. "Is the room warm to you?"

"A bit," Draco muttered. "I think it's just these clothes. Would you like to retire to the bedroom?"

Hermione nodded, letting out a shriek of surprise when he picked her up bridal style to carry her in. "You are my wife now after all," he said wryly, dropping a kiss to her neck as he carried her the length of the hallway to the master bedroom. "Mrs. Malfoy."

Hermione shuddered. "Oh, don't call me that. That sounds like your mother."

He let out a chuckle. "What about just Wife?"

"I can get behind that."

As soon as he let her down, she turned in his arms, reaching up to capture his mouth in a searing kiss. He groaned, tightening his grip on her hips and pulling her in closer. Her fingers traveled down the length of his shirt, quickly unbuttoning the offensive material and throwing it onto the floor. He moved his hands similarly up her back, carefully flicking open every tiny pearl button closure before gently pushing her dress down her body. He stopped and stared at her like she was a vision. She had chosen a sheer bra and panty set to go under her wedding dress, and she decided at that moment to write Ginny a thank you note for forcing her to buy it.

Draco shed his trousers quickly, scooping Hermione up and tossing her on the bed, eliciting a giggle and a quiet moan as he climbed over her and captured her lips again, his hands making quick work of her bra.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered into her ear, suckling on her neck and pushing her underwear down her body.

She flipped them, climbing to straddle him, running her fingers over lean muscle. "You're pretty beautiful yourself."

Hermione moved to take him into her, his hands guiding her hips as she sank down onto his length. She threw her head back and let out a breathy moan as the feeling of being deliciously stretched filled her. Draco gripped her hips tightly, holding her still for a moment as he sat up to capture her lips.

"You're mine," he whispered possessively, gently taking her bottom lip between his teeth.

She brought her hands up to cup his face, holding his gaze as she pulled slightly away from him. "I'm yours."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: JKRowling owns any and all recognizable plot lines or characters.
> 
> I have an Instagram! Follow @abelina.beaumont on Instagram for picture updates on this story!

Sunlight drifted into the room as Hermione woke. She stretched her limbs leisurely, her muscles deliciously sore after the previous night’s activities with her new husband. She smiled, looking over at the blonde who was adorably snoring next to her, practically catatonic. She didn’t bother to cover herself as she stood, padding softly over to the ensuite to run herself a hot bath.

Letting the water run, she turned to the mirror to assess the damage. Her normally wild curls were basically a bird’s nest now, unable to be tamed by even the strongest beauty potions. She had leftover mascara smudged under her eyes, her lips were delightfully beestung, and she had love bites over every visible part of her body. She sighed contentedly, turning and slipping into the tub, smoothing a conditioning mask into her hair and relaxing against the cold marble.

She had lost count of how many orgasms she had the previous night. While doing her research into the makeup of the fertility potions, Hermione had read that orgasms soften the cervix and allow sperm to pass more easily into the uterus as a relaxed and hospitable host, so she supposed that it made sense that the potion would have made her extra sensitive to any special attentions. She hadn’t anticipated the side effects of the potion, although looking back that was probably naivety on her part. The potions contained trace amounts of fenugreek and ginseng, as well as several other magical ingredients that when put together, meant that the imbiber would experience some aphrodisiac side effects of the fertility potion. And Hermione certainly had.

She had felt like she was on fire, burning from the inside out, and the only thing that could give her any relief was Draco. She had been instantly slick for him, and extra sensitive to any touch that he gave her - particularly on her breasts and clitoris. She had wanted him to ravish her, to fill her completely in every possible way. Her thighs rubbed together at the memory.

“Good morning, wife,” Draco’s gravelly voice came from the doorway. He was leaning against the door frame, gloriously naked, his hair disheveled with sleep.

Hermione stretched her arms behind her head, resting comfortably on them and inadvertently exposing her bare chest to him. “Good morning, husband.”

He knelt beside the tub, hand toying in the water. “Did you sleep well?”

“Oh, I slept very well. And yourself?”

“Yes, I also slept very well. Would you like some company?”

Hermione grinned, “Sure.”

Draco slid in behind her, positioning both legs around her and bringing her back to lean against his muscular chest. His hands slipped down her shoulders, over her breasts, to settle on her lower abdomen, his fingers splaying. “Do you think it worked? The potion?”

Hermione laughed, putting her hands over his. “I think we will have to wait and see.”

Draco nuzzled his nose against her neck. “I suppose we’ll just have to keep trying until we can check, then.”

“I suppose so.”

“We can try again right now. The potion is likely still in our system.”

“Hmm, we could.”

Draco’s hands dipped into the water to grab Hermione’s thighs, bringing them up above the rim of the tub and resting them on the edge, spreading her wide. His fingers danced over her skin, trailing down until his fingers cupped her sex, slipping between her folds to find her slick with need for him. His other hand traveled up to massage her breast, lightly rolling her nipple between his fingers.

Hermione’s head fell back against him, a breathy moan escaping her. She could feel him hard against her back, thick and hot. She ground back against him, encouraging his fingers to circle her clit faster. He smacked her clit lightly, eliciting a shocked gasp from her.

“You like that, love?” He breathed into her ear, his mouth dipping down to suck just below her ear.

“Yes,” she hissed. “Oh, yes.”

He hummed in approval, squeezing her nipple a little bit tighter. “You ready for me, love?”

“Yes, please.” 

She felt similar to the way she did last night, like she was burning from the inside out. Something about his proximity had brought on the heat, concentrating it on her sex where her new husband was currently sliding his fingers so deliciously. He gripped her legs, spreading her apart as he guided his cock into her opening.

She sunk down onto him, groaning at the stretch. She tried to use the leverage of her legs on the side of the tub to grind onto his length. He moved her hands to her hips, gripping them tightly as he thrust up into her, water splashing around them. He waved a finger, wandlessly causing a pleasant buzzing sensation to encircle her clit and nipples, and then brought her arms up behind his head before returning his hands to grip her hips.

“You’re going to be a good girl for me, right, love? Don’t move your arms.”

“Oh,” Hermione groaned, the sensation on her nipples and clit only getting stronger. “Y-yes, I’ll be good.”

“I know you will, love. You’re so fucking sexy when you’re spread out for me like this.”

His thrusts sped up, his cock hitting a spot in her pussy that made her toes curl. “Oh, baby, yesss. Yes, please, more!”

He smiled against her skin. “You’re going to come for me, alright, baby? I’m going to count down and then I want you to come all over my cock.”

Hermione nodded. “O-okay.”

A kiss on her neck and the vibrations increased. “Ten.”

His pounding into her sped up yet again, his hands coming up to twist her nipples almost painfully, an effect that was incredible when coupled with the magical vibrations. “Nine, eight.”

Hermione’s body hummed as he twisted. “I know you’re getting close, love, but just hold on until I get to one, alright?”

Hermione whined and nodded. “Y-yes, sir.”

“Seven, six.”

One hand left her breast to rest on her throat, squeezing just enough to make it difficult to breathe. The other dipped down into the water to harshly rub her clit, sending shocks of electricity through Hermione that caused her legs to shake. “Five.”

“Draco, please,” she moaned. She could feel her orgasm coming, just on the edge of falling.

“You know what to say if you want me to stop, wife. Four,” he growled into her ear.

Hermione pressed her lips together and clenched her fists behind Draco’s head. She could hold out for this, she knew it would be worth it.

He sped up his thrusts and began slapping her clit quickly. Hermione writhed on his cock, struggling to obey and keep her hands in place. “Y-yes, yes!”

He squeezed her throat, cutting off her air supply momentarily. Hermione’s vision went hazy, the waves of pleasure taking over her body. “Alright, love, three, two, one. Come for me.”

Stars exploded behind Hermione’s eyes as her body convulsed, Draco thrust his cock deep into her, hitting her cervix as he released his seed into her. He cut off the enchantments on her nipples and clit, cradling her into his body as he released her throat. 

“T-that was,” Hermione breathed, letting her head and arms fall back to rest on him. “That was amazing.”

Draco hummed in agreement, kissing her neck softly. “You’re perfect, wife.”

She let her eyes drift closed as they rested in the warm water. “So are you, husband.”

* * *

“You really won’t tell me where we are going?” Hermione huffed on the bed, watching her husband gather their pre-packed luggage. 

“No, I will not,” he smirked back at her. “I told you, it’s a surprise. Telling you would defeat the purpose.”

Hermione pouted on the bed. She knew it was immature, but she hated surprises, she always had.

“Will you at least tell me what the climate is like? Tropical, snowy?”

“Hmm,” Draco kissed her cheek quickly. “No. Now, come on. The portkey will be leaving shortly.”

“So it’s out of the country, then?” Hermione perked up, standing from the bed.

“You’ll find out soon enough, you insatiable witch,” he hugged her tightly, smiling down at her. “Now, let’s go. We have a honeymoon to enjoy.”

The portkey left her nauseous and dizzy, as it always did. It took her a moment to register where they were. 

“Draco, where are we?”

“My family has property in several different places across the globe. This one is one of the better-kept secrets,” Draco smiled. “Welcome to Eden Island. It’s completely private, unplottable, and about ten minutes by boat to Tortola in in the British Virgin Islands.”

Hermione gasped, taking in the view. They had arrived on the balcony of the house just before sunrise. She could see the sun peeking up above the ocean, sending rays of purple and pink across the sky. The beach was only a few hundred yards away by a set of stone stairs, and the sand was purely white, the water a clear turquoise beyond it. 

“Draco, it’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. Mother and Father relinquished their rights to all the Malfoy properties once they were placed on house arrest, so now it belongs to us.”

“Us?”

“You and me. Us.”

Hermione fixed her gaze on him. “This belongs to us?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Do you have any other surprises for me? A vineyard in Italy, a mountain home in the Swiss Alps, perchance?”

“No mountain home in the Swiss Alps, I’m afraid, although if you would like one, that could be easily remedied. And our vineyard is in France, not Italy,” he teased, draping an arm around her shoulders. “I can take you by Gringotts when we get back if you’d like, show you the extent of our estate.”

Hermione sighed, leaning into him and breathing in the salt air. “I’d like that.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Any recognizable plot lines or characters belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> I have an instagram now! Follow @abelina.beaumont on Insta for pictures from this story (and eventually my others as I update them.
> 
> Chapter Warnings: Explicit Sex, Dirty Talk, Exhibitionism, Voluntary Restraint, Cunnilingus, Rimming, Doggie Style, Potion Induced Lust, Slight Dom/Sub undertones

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Any recognizable plot lines or characters belong to JK Rowling.

I have an instagram now! Follow @abelina.beaumont on Insta for pictures from this story (and eventually my others as I update them.

**_Draco’s POV_ **

She was beautiful like this. Granted, she had always been beautiful, but tonight seemed different somehow. They had spent the majority of the past few days frolicking on the beach and splashing in the ocean, her clad in one of those blessed Muggle bikinis that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. He had shown her the sand castle that he had built as a boy with one of his cousins, the one that his Father had charmed to withstand any weather. He had shown her their library on this property, filled to the brim with maps and books on the history of the Americas, as well as the Malfoy’s contribution to the French and English colonies there, of course. He had felt like a little boy showing off his toys, showing Hermione this place. 

And now here she was, looking ethereal in a white gauzy dress that went to her knees but only clung to her shoulders by the thinnest of straps. She had chosen a ridiculously high pair of heeled sandals that made him want to drool over her toned legs. The sun and sand over the past few days had been very gracious to her, tanning her skin and tousling her hair in a way that gave her an effortless glamour. She was perfect, and more than he could have ever hoped for in a bride, let alone in an arranged marriage. He had never even allowed the thought to pass his mind in the past, that he would be the lucky sod who ended up with Hermione bloody Granger. But now, he allowed himself to hope that the next ten years would turn into one hundred.

He had arranged for a romantic dinner date to be set up on the balcony outside of the master bedroom, just overlooking the beach and providing a perfect view to watch the sunset over the water. Their house elf Tippy, who oversaw the upkeep of the property whilst the Malfoy family was home in Britain, had prepared a delightful meal of a grilled fish salad and skewered vegetables, leaving them several bottles of wine to choose from and a lovely dessert of lemon mousse with fresh strawberries and cream. Hermione had commented on the candles that Draco had charmed to float gently above them, teasing that he must expect to get lucky tonight with all of the mood lighting he had set. He had quirked his eyebrows at his wife in response and reminded her that yes, he did expect to get lucky tonight, several times. She had laughed and flushed prettily, the blush tinging her cheeks pink.

He moved in front of her onto his knees, and pulled the last two vials of Ministry-required fertility potion out of his pants pocket. “Shall we?”

She had taken the vial from him, never breaking eye contact, and downed the vial. He mirrored her, taking her vial when he was finished and vanishing them both.

“How would you like to do this tonight?” she asked him, her fingers toying with the hair at the nape of his neck. “We could go into the bedroom and bang one out the old fashioned way, or...”

“Or? Tell me, love.”

Her blush deepened, her gaze averted from his. “Or we could stay out here.”

He grinned lasciviously. “Out here, darling? You want me to fuck you out here where anyone could see us?”

She met his eyes, nodding. “Y-yes, I do.”

“Would you like to play tonight, love?”

He felted her knees rub together. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir.” She corrected quickly.

“Good girl,” he whispered, leaning up to capture her lips with his. Her fingers wove into his hair as she returned the passionate kiss. He stood, bringing her with him, and slipped his tongue into her mouth to battle for dominance with her own. He broke the kiss, gesturing to her dress with a hand.

“Take it off.”

She stood up in front of him and slowly lowered the straps of her dress, causing it to pool around her feet. A distinct lump formed in Draco’s throat. She hadn’t worn anything underneath. She knelt down to untie her sandals.

“Stop,” he said quickly, before she could touch them. She looked at him, confused. “Leave them on.”

She smiled, stepping to him and kissing him deeply. He grabbed her by the hips and led her over to the railing overlooking the beach. He broke the kiss and spun her around, leaning into her. “You remember our safe words, love?”

She nodded, “Yes, green is good, yellow to slow down, and red to stop completely.”

“Good girl,” he growled into her ear. He bent forward, causing her to lean over the balcony railing. “Grab the railing and don’t let go, do you think you can do that for me?”

She let out the sweetest whimper and nodded, her fingers gripping the stone of the railing tightly. Draco backed away a step to take a look at her naked form. His fingers trailed down her shoulders, back, hips, thighs. He knelt down and tapped the inside of her thighs to have her spread her legs, leaving her perfect pussy on display for him. She had prepared for something like this he could see, her sex had been charmed smooth and soft, with only the tiniest neatly trimmed patch of hair sitting atop her slit. He brought his hands up, grabbing her firm arse cheeks and spread them gently to get a better view. 

The fertility potion that they had just taken was clearly working very quickly on her. Either that, or she had been slick and ready for him for hours. He could see her quivering as he exhaled onto her, her juices leaking down the inside of her thighs. She smelled positively divine. Was that an effect of the potion as well? He decided not to question it, and licked a long line from her clit up to her rosebud. She jumped lightly and moaned at the intrusion, but kept holding the railing tightly.

“Color, love?” he asked, tracing the outside of her arsehole with a gentle finger. He wondered hopefully if she would ever allow him to take her here. From her response, he imagined it could possibly be a yes.

“G-green, sir,” she said. “Very green.”

He hummed in approval and brought his mouth to her slit again, lapping up her decadent juices and circling her clit with his tongue, all the while keeping her spread wide open for him. Hermione’s breathing was heavy, her legs trembling in her sexy heels, and he could tell that she wanted a release. But that wasn’t the plan. He intended to milk the effects of the fertility potion for all it was worth and give her the best orgasm of her life.

“Oh, Draco,” she breathed into the night air like a prayer. “Yes, fuck yes!”

He drew back, allowing her to cool off for a moment before attacking her again, this time focusing purely on her tight, virgin arsehole. He thanked the gods that she was meticulous with her hygiene, this wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable otherwise. He licked a circle around the outside and plunged his tongue into her, thrusting and stretching as best he could without scaring her. Hermione moaned and bucked back against his tongue, clearly enjoying the sensation. He brought his thumb up to her clit and began to rub quick circles, earning shrieks of pleasure from his wife.

He could see out of the corner of his eye that her knuckles had turned nearly white gripping the balcony railing. Almost, but not quite. He pulled away from her, smacking her lightly on the behind, and then repeating the motion slightly harder. “Color?”

“Green!” she nearly screamed. “Please, Draco, please, please!”

He stood and brought his hand down on her arse in quick succession, first lightly and then more firmly as her moans grew and she writhed against his hand. He brought a hand up to harshly twist a pert nipple, she gasped at the sudden sensation, but he could see that her eyes were wild and dilated with arousal. She liked this. He smiled at her, spanking her directly on the clit now while holding her gaze.

“Oh, God,” Hermione breathed, her juices soaking his hand as he lightly slapped her clit. He paused, pinching the sensitive nub between his thumb and forefinger.

“What do you need, love?” he asked her. “Use your words.”

“I need y-you to f-fuck me,” she stuttered out. “P-please, sir, I need you in my p-pussy. I need to come, please!”

He released her. “Stay right there, just like that.”

She whined at the loss of contact. It wouldn’t be for long. He quickly shed his slacks and button up shirt, grateful that he was finally able to address the throbbing erection that had been plaguing him since he took the potion with her. His body was hot, burning from the inside out, and he could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow. He needed her, he needed to breed her, fill her with his seed. The urge was undeniable now.

He stood behind her, lining up his cock with her opening and gripped her hips harshly as he entered her in one smooth motion. He let out a strangled groan as he did, her tight heat sheathing him in the most perfect way. He would not last long like this, he knew. One hand reached up to roll her previously untouched nipple in his fingers while the other reached around to rub her clit in tight, quick circles as he thrust into her. 

He set a punishing pace, her pussy spasming around him as he did. “You feel so fucking good, baby. Do you like being put on display out here on this balcony? Being a filthy little slut for your husband where anyone can see you?”

“Yesssss,” she hissed. “Y-yes, yes sir!”

Damn, this woman was going to be the death of him. “I want you to finish with me, can you do that love?”

“I’m s-so close,” she nearly cried, her voice steadily rising in pitch as she rolled her hips back into him to the timing of his thrusts. “P-please, sir, please!”

“I want you to show everyone here exactly who you belong to. Can you do that for me? Will you scream for me when you come?”

“Uuh-hhuh,” she babbled.

He slammed into her and twisted her clit. “Come.”

She exploded, screaming his name into the dark of the beach as she came undone around him. He tensed and closed his eyes in bliss as her pussy milked his cock for all it was worth, his load spilling into her waiting body. Staying inside her, he covered her hands on the railing with his own, effectively cradling her in his arms as they breathed heavily.

She nuzzled him with the side of her face and said softly. “May I let go of the railing now?”

He laughed at her, “Yes, love, you may let go now.”

She released the stone, flexing her fingers that had turned red from the pressure, and leaned back into him. He pulled his cock from her body, picking her up gently in his arms, and turned to head back toward the bedroom. She let her head fall against his shoulder. “So, Draco, I think I’d like a list of all the things that you would like to try in the bedroom.”

“A list?”

“Mmhmm,” she sighed, kissing his jawline softly. “Don’t misunderstand, I very much enjoyed everything that we did tonight and have done so far, but I’d like to be a little bit more prepared. Do my research, if you will.”

“I think we can come up with a list,” he smirked at her. “You’ll just need to let me know what you are willing and not willing to do. That’s why we have safe words, so that you aren’t ever uncomfortable and can’t tell me.”

Hermioned nodded and yawned. “I think I can do that.”

He placed her in the massive feather bed, slowly pulling off her shoes and massaging her feet to restore the circulation. “What would you say to a quick nap before round two?”

Hermione smirked a very Malfoy-esque smirk and replied, “How about round two, and then a quick nap before round three?”

“Ah,” he chuckled at her, letting go of her feet to crawl over her on the bed. “Insatiable minx.”

“You know it,” she kissed him, and round two was begun.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 19
> 
> Disclaimer: Any recognizable plotlines or characters are owned by JKRowling.
> 
> I have an instagram now! Follow @abelina.beaumont on Insta for photos relating to the story!

“What would you like for me to call you now that you’re a married woman, Hermione?” A newly pregnant Healer Padma Nott smiled from her seat in front of the exam table. “Ms. Granger? Granger-Malfoy? Just Malfoy?”

“Hermione is still perfectly fine, Padma,” Hermione laughed and glanced at Draco, who was anxiously bouncing a knee in a chair beside her. “We haven’t really decided on the new name situation yet, or if there’s going to be one.”

“Perfectly understandable. Let’s get started, shall we?” Padma raised the stirrups on the table with a wave of her wand and motioned for Hermione to move down.

“Erm, what are those for?” Draco asked, clearly confused by the metal arms.

“My feet,” Hermione grunted, using her arms to push the rest of her torso down to the edge of the table. 

“The Ministry requires that I do a quick pelvic exam to assess any lingering side effects from extended use of the fertility potion. Then I’ll do a pregnancy test and if that comes back positive, we’ll do a few more things. Little bit wider, please,” Padma tapped Hermione’s knee to get her to spread her legs a little bit wider.

Draco blanched whenever Padma inserted her wand into Hermione’s vagina. “Is there not a less..invasive way to do this, Healer Nott?”

“You would think so, with how many other advances the magical community has made,” Hermione snipped dryly. 

“Unfortunately, Mr. Malfoy, the Wizarding community in Britain does not place very high value on reproductive or sexual advances in healing,” Padma muttered. “I had to lobby the Wizengamot a few years ago with the other obstetric and gynecological Healers at St. Mungo’s just to allow us to use magic to do pelvic exams at all. While I was in training, we were still using speculums and swabs, doing things the Muggle way.”

“T-that’s archaic!” Draco gasped.

Both women busted out laughing. “Imagine being the one who has to go through it!” Hermione looked at him, mirth lighting up her eyes.

“Alright, Hermione, are you alright with me disclosing your results in front of Draco, or would you prefer he step out of the room?” Padma withdrew her wand and wiped it clean with a tissue before casting a wandless Scourgify. 

“He can stay,” Hermione sat up on the table and closed her legs.

“Well, it looks like you have some very minor irritation on your vaginal wall from the increased sexual activity over the past few days, which is to be expected. It should clear itself up in the next couple of days as long as you make sure you are appropriately lubricated whenever you have sex. Everything else looks to be in good shape. Have you experienced any latent effects since you’ve stopped taking the potion?”

“Um, I don’t think so,” Hermione blushed and tried not to look at her smirking husband. “It does seem like my, er, sex drive has increased pretty significantly.”

Padma nodded, “That’s to be expected. Fertility potions like this have similar makeups to lust potions, so whenever you take them for long periods of time, the effects can take some time to wear off. Alright, hold still please.”

Padma waved her wand over Hermione’s lower abdomen, muttering an incantation that Hermione couldn’t hear. She felt a warmth spread through her and a bubble that looked similar to a Patronus gently floated up about six inches above her belly. She could see distinct tiny lights twinkling in the bubble. Fascinated, she reached for it, her fingers grasping nothing but air.

Padma smiled brightly, her wand twirling in intricate patterns as she ran nonverbal diagnostics. “Congratulations, Hermione, you are indeed pregnant.”

Draco’s hand found hers in an instant. Meeting his eyes, she could see he was struggling to maintain his excitement, and his fear. She smiled softly and squeezed his hand.

“And all three look to be progressing very well.” Padma exclaimed. 

Hermione paled and gulped. “Excuse me, Padma, did you say three? As is three babies?”

“Yes, three babies. You can see their heartbeats here,” Padma gestured toward the tiny lights dancing in the bubble. “Although the timing of implantation is difficult to tell. It’s likely that they were conceived in two or even three separate encounters.”

“B-but how?”

“The way that these particular fertility potions work for females is that they induce an ovulation and make the uterine lining very hospitable for implantation, so each time you take one there is a chance of fertilization. It essentially increases your metabolism and condenses your monthly cycle into the span of about fifteen minutes, which is why you feel feverish and aroused. Multiples are unlikely, but not impossible with multiple doses. When they do happen, they form separate placentas, as you can see,” Padma pointed out a thin outline around the tiny lights. 

“Separate encounters,” Hermione breathed. “They all have separate sacks. Were they implanted around the same time?”

“Hmm, probably. One looks to be about six weeks along, the other two are ten days and five days, I would say.”

“Six weeks? That would be..”

“The club,” Draco said softly, his first words since Padma had announced the news. “It happened that night after the club.”

Hermione nodded, squeezing his hand again. “It looks like we weren’t as careful as I had originally thought. Will they have different due dates?”

“ We will have to see how they progress. Magical pregnancies are a little different from Muggle ones. The babies attach to the mother’s magical core and use it to fuel their growth in addition to hormones and sustenance, so sometimes they grow a little bit faster than the usual forty or so weeks. The fertility potions also speed up the process for the two that were implanted so it’s possible you could deliver all three at the same time. Would you like to know the sex?”

“You can tell this early?” Hermione asked, looking at Draco in question.

“It’s up to you, love,” he said, smiling at her. “We have three babies coming. That’s enough for me. If you want to find out, let’s find out. If you’d rather be surprised, we can be surprised.”

Hermione nodded. “I-I think I’d like to know. We’ve had enough surprises.”

It looked like Padma barely twitched her wrist when the tiny lights glowed brightly and then faded, blinding Hermione momentarily.

“A girl,” Draco breathed, his eyes wide in awe as he stared at the glowing pink pulse.

“And two boys,” Padma supplied. “Congratulations!”

Hermione gripped Draco’s hand with vice like strength. She looked at him, her smile bright but tight with worry, “We’re going to have our hands full.”


End file.
